Do you know your cold from your flu? Find out about the viruses that cause them, the symptoms and the treatments

1. 'The flu' is just a really bad cold
   A cold and the flu (influenza) are caused by very different viruses. The flu is much more severe than a cold. For some people, the flu can lead to serious or even fatal complications, requiring a visit to hospital.

   With all the respiratory bugs and conditions floating around, the flu can be difficult for doctors to diagnose.

2. 'I've got the stomach flu!'
   Many people mistake digestive problems for the flu. While an upset stomach can affect some people with the flu, it's rarely the main symptom. If you're suffering from nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, you probably have another virus, bacteria, or food-poisoning, rather than the flu.
3. If you go outside in cold, wet weather, you'll catch a cold or the flu
   Colds and the flu are more common in the winter because this is the time of year that viruses spread most quickly. It has nothing to do with the weather or climate. However, the weather can affect how easily you may catch something else, like pneumonia.
4. You should feed a cold and starve a fever (or the flu)
   Please don't. These are very bad ideas when you have a cold or the flu. Do eat enough so that you're not hungry. And make sure you drink plenty of water and juice if you're dealing with either of these viruses. Drinking hot fluids will help ease your cough and soothe your sore throat.
5. Vitamin C, herbal remedies and antibiotics are effective against colds and the flu
   It has often been claimed that Vitamin C will reduce the frequency, severity or duration of colds and the flu, or echinacea, other herbs and lozenges are effective treatments. Sadly, none of these claims have been proven. Actually, antibiotics do not help with colds or the flu at all because they are caused by viruses. Antibiotics only treat bacterial illnesses.
6. The only thing you can do with the flu is to get lots of rest
   Maybe herbal remedies do not help fight the flu, but there are medications available. Prescription anti-viral medications can reduce the severity and duration of the flu when started within two days after symptoms appear. Other medicine can at least give you some relief from flu symptoms. Try to get plenty of rest and fluids, and stay away from alcohol and tobacco while you are sick.
7. The flu vaccine can give you the flu
   This is absolutely not true. The vaccine is made from an inactivated, or dead, virus. You cannot catch the flu from it. In fact, the vaccine is very safe. You may have a little redness or soreness at the injection site.

   At the very worst, you could experience a fever, muscle aches and feel unwell for a couple of days. Although these side effects sound like flu symptoms, they are not caused by the inactivated virus in the vaccine.

8. The flu vaccine is not effective
   It's pretty close to being 100 per cent effective. There are many strains of the flu, and they change every year so one vaccine can't cover all of them. The vaccine is changed each year and includes the three strains that experts believe will be most common or serious that year. But even if you do catch the flu after getting the shot, your illness is likely to be much less severe.
9. I'm too healthy for the flu vaccine
   The flu shot is most important for children, the elderly, and people with certain medical conditions. But no one is immune to the flu. Even otherwise healthy people can be bedridden for up to a week, or can spread the flu to higher-risk populations.

   However, some people should not get the vaccine. This includes people who are allergic to eggs, children under six months old and anyone who has had a severe reaction to a flu vaccine in the past or developed a condition called Guillain Barre syndrome after receiving a flu vaccine. If you have a fever, it is usually best to wait until it passes before getting the vaccine.