# A sniffle is not the flu!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sniffle-is-not-the-flu/628251>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [July 14, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sniffle-is-not-the-flu/628251 "2012-07-14T20:48:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sniffle-is-not-the-flu/628251/21 "2012-07-19T01:52:33Z")

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Said the shady dwarf.

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**Author:** ![Dunkelheit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkelheit/32/248_2.png) [@Dunkelheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunkelheit)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sniffle-is-not-the-flu/628251/22 "2012-07-19T21:34:35Z")

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> [@Autolycus](#):
>
> Said the shady dwarf.

I resemble that remark.

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**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\
**Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-sniffle-is-not-the-flu/628251/23 "2012-07-20T01:22:49Z")

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I’ve noticed a marked difference since the swine flu outbreak of 09 - people are now more informed about the flu in general and less likely to conflate ‘a really bad cold’ with ‘the flu.’

But ‘a really bad cold’ can sometimes actually make you ill enough to require a day or two off work - it’s just that it varies so much that nobody would take you seriously, like in the Agatha Christie quote.

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