Up to 10 days
How long do colds and flu last? Severity of the symptoms and length of the infection dependson the individual. The temperature you get with flu usuallygoes down within 48 hours.The worst flu or cold symptoms will be over in 4-5 days butcomplete recovery can take up to 10 days, and sometimeslonger. The Flu Is Contagious. Most healthy adults may be able to infect other people beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5 to 7 days after becoming sick. Children may pass the virus for longer than 7 days. Symptoms start 1 to 4 days after the virus enters the body. You will typically begin to notice symptoms, such as a runny or stuffed-up nose, coughing or a scratchy throat about two or three days after you become infected with the virus that causes the common cold. Other symptoms of the common cold can include: sneezing, a fever, headaches, watery eyes and fatigue. A. It takes approximately 24-48 hours for initial symptoms to appear after exposure to the influenza virus. If you suspect you have the flu, seek medical treatment quickly. Tamiflu, if taken within the first 48 hours of symptoms occurring, can reduce the time it takes to heal and can reduce symptoms. It's easy to confuse a common cold with flu symptoms. However, cold symptoms are usually milder and don't last as long as the flu symptoms. If you become infected with the flu virus, you will usually feel flu symptoms 1 to 4 days later. It is important to note that you can spread the flu to others before your flu symptoms start and for another 3 to 4 days after your flu symptoms appear. (Click Flu Virus for more information about the flu.).
http://www.pagb.co.uk/publications/pdfs/Coldandfluleaflet.pdf http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/spread.htm https://www.sharecare.com/health/cold-and-flu/get-cold-after-exposure-virus http://answers.webmd.com/answers/5011236/how-soon-after-exposure-to-the-flu-virus-do-symptoms-appear http://flu.emedtv.com/flu/flu-symptoms.html
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