# People Who Say They Have The Flu, When They Have A Cold **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 9, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-say-they-have-the-flu-when-they-have-a-cold/223727 "2004-01-09T21:55:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![xcheopis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bc8723/32.png) [@xcheopis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xcheopis)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-say-they-have-the-flu-when-they-have-a-cold/223727/21 "2004-01-10T16:11:16Z")
How much you suffer from the flu depends very much on whether you’ve been exposed to a particular strain or not. The virus mutates fairly often and one can go for years without being exposed to an entirely new strain or exposed to one that is only slightly different from prior strains. Exposure to a strain that is slightly different will generally result in fewer, if any, symptoms and will be of lesser severity. It is still the flu, however, and you are still contagious. It is also possible to be infected with more than one strain at a time and again, how ill you feel will depend on how closely the strains are related to those your immune system has already fought. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-say-they-have-the-flu-when-they-have-a-cold/223727/22 "2004-01-10T16:17:54Z")
> [@](#): > > I’ve heard that the up and down day to day weather can create better conditions for viruses to BREED, though. Or do viruses breed? No offense to you, of course, but that was the funniest thing I have read in a long time. Viruses are not life, and do not breed. They replicate inside your cells. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-say-they-have-the-flu-when-they-have-a-cold/223727/23 "2004-01-10T19:15:28Z")
I’ve heard that the defining difference between cold and flu is the fever. If you don’t have a fever, you don’t have a flu. That said, I’ve had the flu once in my adult life. I remember the date and time that it started, and after about an hour, I don’t remember much for the next three days. I think I got off the couch to go to the bathroom and get the orange juice that I was living on; it’s all a little hazy. I also advocate getting flu shots. I had one for the last two years, and had fewer and less severe **colds** as a result. I know that flu and colds are from two different viruses, but I figure if I’m not busy fighting a flu bug, I have more energy to fight the ubiquitous common cold bugs. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-say-they-have-the-flu-when-they-have-a-cold/223727/24 "2004-01-10T19:20:38Z")
**gawd** , I have to doubt that you actually get influenza at least once a year. Generally it comes around just once a year. Now I don’t deny you may have a nasty viral illness which is quite debilitating and makes you feel horrible more than once a year, but I’d bet a lot of money it’s not consistantly influenza. Anyway, here’s what the CDC says about influenza vs. Cold [http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/coldflu.htm](http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/coldflu.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-say-they-have-the-flu-when-they-have-a-cold/223727/25 "2004-01-10T19:21:43Z")
and to answer you, **featherlou** : Yes, generally the flu will have significant fever like 102 at least), and a cold won’t. QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![Dizzy\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dizzy\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dizzy_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2004, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-say-they-have-the-flu-when-they-have-a-cold/223727/26 "2004-01-11T08:30:22Z")
In other words, just from waiting around For that plain little band of gold, A person Can develop a cold. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2004, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-say-they-have-the-flu-when-they-have-a-cold/223727/27 "2004-01-11T09:26:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ilsa\_Lund \* > \*\*No offense to you, of course, but that was the funniest thing I have read in a long time. Viruses are not life, and do not breed. They replicate inside your cells. \*\* Non-living things replicate? Since when? Where was I when this started happening? As it happens, the question of whether viruses are alive are not is nowhere near cut and dried enough to trigger peals of laughter. Science is still debating the question, and they have not yet come to a firm conclusion either way. [http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif72/2c.asp?pf=on](http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif72/2c.asp?pf=on) ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2004, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-say-they-have-the-flu-when-they-have-a-cold/223727/28 "2004-01-11T16:56:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Stoid \* > \*\*Non-living things replicate? Since when? Where was I when this started happening? > > As it happens, the question of whether viruses are alive are not is nowhere near cut and dried enough to trigger peals of laughter. Science is still debating the question, and they have not yet come to a firm conclusion either way. > > [http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif72/2c.asp?pf=on](http://www.beyondbooks.com/lif72/2c.asp?pf=on) \*\* You know what I mean. They use cell machinery, or rather, their DNA utilizes cell machinery to copy itself. So what kingdome are viruses in? They ain’t alive, bro. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2004, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-say-they-have-the-flu-when-they-have-a-cold/223727/29 "2004-01-11T18:21:27Z")
And we all knew what Guin meant too. I don’t think ‘breed’ is an innapropriate word to describe replication of something that may or may not be life. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2004, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-say-they-have-the-flu-when-they-have-a-cold/223727/30 "2004-01-11T18:24:29Z")
I would argue that it is. They use hosts to replicate. Breed connotes sexual reproduction. I don’t think that seasonal variation would affect them, though I am not sure. ---
**Author:** ![corvidae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@corvidae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corvidae)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2004, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-say-they-have-the-flu-when-they-have-a-cold/223727/31 "2004-01-11T19:39:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ilsa\_Lund \* > \*\*I would argue that it is. They use hosts to replicate. Breed connotes sexual reproduction. I don’t think that seasonal variation would affect them, though I am not sure. \*\* While seasonal variation may not affect the viruses themselves, it may however affect your susceptability to said viruses. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2004, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-say-they-have-the-flu-when-they-have-a-cold/223727/32 "2004-01-11T19:46:27Z")
That is probably correct. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-say-they-have-the-flu-when-they-have-a-cold/223727.md?page=1)