The common cold and flu are both caused by infections in our throat and lungs and share many of the same symptoms. It’s not always easy to tell whether you have flu or just a cold; however flu can be serious and at times life-threatening whilst the common cold is likely just to cause you a few days of feeling unwell.

In general, flu symptoms are worse than cold symptoms.

It’s important to be able to spot the signs of flu so that you can take action to reduce your risks from this disease if needed. The symptom checker has been designed to help you decide if you may have flu.