1. Are influenza and the common cold the same thing? Before answering the question of the title, it should be clear that flu and cold are two different things. (1) The pathogens of infection are different: We call microorganisms that can cause people to get sick, pathogens. Influenza is caused when a person is infected with a specific influenza virus, whereas with the common cold, there are more types of viruses that are infected than the flu. (2) The symptoms are different: the symptoms shown by the common cold are mainly in the nose, such as nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, while the symptoms shown by the flu will be more numerous and complicated, in addition to nasal discomfort, there may also be abdominal pain, bloating, vomiting, etc., and in severe cases, even respiratory failure or death; (3) The transmission strength is different: the transmission strength of the flu is stronger, so once you are diagnosed with the flu, you need to Take time off from work and school. 2.Can the flu vaccination prevent all types of flu forever? No. First of all, as we have mentioned in the first question, the viruses of influenza and common cold are different, and influenza vaccine can only target influenza virus, not rhinovirus, coronavirus, adenovirus, etc. which can cause common cold; secondly, even influenza is divided into three subtypes, A, B and C, and each influenza vaccine only contains three inactivated influenza viruses or antigenic components, A1 subtype, A3 subtype and B type, which may not cover all influenza viruses. Once again, some of these viruses will mutate every once in a while and the original vaccine will lose its effectiveness. Therefore, influenza vaccination is not a once-and-for-all thing, and influenza vaccination is usually effective only for the current year.