There's another virus that mimics many symptoms of the flu.
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People are regularly mistaking symptoms of the flu with adenovirus, a viral condition that also can cause a runny nose, cough, sore throat, breathing problems, fever, headache, and diarrhea, per CNN. But unlike the flu, there’s not a vaccine for adenovirus—at least, not one that’s available to the general public, says infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., senior scholar at the John's Hopkins Center for Health Security. An adenovirus vaccine does exist, but it’s currently only offered to people in the military, Adalja says.
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However, a new report published this week in Emerging Infectious Diseases, a weekly journal published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggests that there’s benefit to using the vaccine for everyone, especially people who live in close quarters like college students, kids at summer camp, and people who live in long-term care facilities.
What Is Adenovirus?
While you may have never heard of adenovirus before, it’s actually a pretty common illness, per the CDC. The virus can cause a range of issues like the common cold, sore throat, bronchitis, pneumonia, diarrhea, and even pink eye.Given that the flu can also cause a sore throat, cough, fever, headache, and diarrhea, it can be tough for people—and even doctors—to tell it apart from the flu, Adalja says. There's a molecular test for adenovirus, but most doctor's don't have access to it—and the only way they can distinguish between the two in their office is if they give you a rapid flu test and it comes back positive for flu, he says. (The rapid flu test isn't totally accurate, which means a negative result doesn't necessarily mean you don't have the flu.)
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