Health authorities advise caution as flu season intensifies

Quebec's Health and Social Service Ministry says the influenza season is intensifying while cases of the common cold are stabilizing. However, the situation could change rapidly as students gradually return to school this week.

A fever and headache? Muscle pain, a cough and a sore throat? These are all telltale symptoms of the flu.  

"A wicked, horrible cough. I am really congested," said Michael Robert, who is sick with the flu.

"I don't have a fever, but I have a sinus headache that really won't go away.  And there's only so much Advil a person can take during the day. So pretty much I've spent most of the last 24 hours in bed."

According to doctors, if a person is experiencing painful but tolerable symptoms, it's likely just a bad cold.

"So, you may have a fever, but it's not as high. You'll be congested. You may be sneezing and coughing, but you don't have chest pain. You're not short of breath. And you have mild aches and pains in your muscles," said Dr. Mitch Shulman.

Health authorities are advising against unnecessary visits, as doctors will likely send the patient home with Tylenol unless they have pre-existing conditions.

"And if you're either very little under the age of one or two years or older, or have underlying health issues like diabetes or renal disease, kidney disease or heart disease or lung disease, these are the people that probably need to be seen sooner rather than later in a clinic or in a doctor's office or in the emergency room, or at least speak to 811," Dr. Shulman explained.