Understanding the Difference Between a Cold and the Flu, According to Virologist Marc van Ranst

Anyone who feels bad or sniffles at this time of year thinks they have ‘the flu’. Nonsense, says Belgian virologist Marc van Ranst. The flu is a serious disease that kills people. He explains how to notice the difference.

“You cannot say when a cold started. Suddenly you’re sniffling and you notice that runny nose. At most you know that it has been there ‘since this morning’. Or so you think. This is different with the flu. You can be perfectly healthy at noon and still be at two o’clock. And then at three o’clock (snaps fingers, ed.) you are suddenly shivering with a fever of 39 degrees and you feel deathly ill. When in doubt, there is the At home-, Family– or Netflix test. If you still feel like watching, it’s a cold. When you really have the flu, you want to lie down and sleep in the dark. Even those who are still tweeting or typing while sick in bed probably have a cold. In fact, anyone who describes their symptoms as a ‘flu’ is suffering from a cold.”

Bron(nen): Newspaper