The first difference between the common cold and the influenza is that the common cold is not epidemic. The common cold, also known as the “cold”, is a common respiratory illness caused by a variety of viruses, a significant portion of which is caused by a certain serotype of rhinovirus. The common cold can occur in any season of the year, and is more likely to occur in winter and spring. Most common colds are sporadic and do not cause epidemics. Influenza, on the other hand, is a disease caused by the influenza virus, which is extremely contagious and can be widespread in a short period of time, and influenza epidemics are common in the winter and spring. There are three types of influenza viruses, namely type A, type B and type C. Influenza A is the most common type of infection. The second difference is the difference in symptoms. The common cold has a rapid onset, with early symptoms such as dry and itchy throat, sneezing, nasal congestion and runny nose, which starts as clear watery nasal discharge and thickens after 2-3 days; it may be accompanied by sore throat; there is usually no fever and systemic symptoms, or only low fever and headache. If there is no concurrent bacterial infection, the course of the disease can generally be cured in 5-7 days. The incubation period of influenza is usually 1-3 days, and the onset of the disease is very rapid, with fever at the beginning, body temperature can be as high as 39℃-40℃, chills, general malaise, dizziness and headache, aching limbs, sneezing and runny nose, after the high fever lasts for 3-5 days, the systemic symptoms are reduced, and respiratory symptoms such as cough gradually increase. According to the clinical manifestations and the severity of the disease, there are four types of influenza: simple, pneumonia, poisoning, and gastrointestinal type. The common complications of influenza include pneumonia, viral myocarditis and neurological complications. The third difference is that the treatment is different. At present, for most people with viral infections of the common cold, there are no effective antiviral drugs to kill the virus directly, and the effective method is to rely on the body’s immune system to produce specific immunity to the virus, so the cold should be treated mainly with supportive therapy, paying special attention to rest, drinking more water and eating lightly. Cold can be secondary to bacterial infection, at which time antibiotics can be applied appropriately for treatment. The same type of influenza virus can genetically mutate in nature to form new virus subtypes, and people without natural infection or effective immunization against influenza vaccine generally lack resistance to these mutated influenza virus subtypes and are easily infected, which is why there are influenza pandemics a few years apart.