Local and federal health officials have urged people with common flu symptoms not to go to clinics or hospitals to reduce the spread of influenza.

They say symptoms have so far been relatively mild with H1N1 flu cases, pass in a few days, and can be treated at home with rest and drinking plenty of fluids.

Health officials also ask that people continue to stay home 24 hours after symptoms pass to avoid infecting others.

They said people with flu-like symptoms should seek medical care if they have severe shortness of breath, experience severe vomiting and/or headache, have a temperatures of 101.5 or higher, or have repeated recurrences of symptoms after feeling better.

People in high-risk groups — those with respiratory or heart disease, pregnant women — also should seek medical attention if flu-like symptoms develop.

While symptoms for the seasonal flu and the H1N1 flu are generally similar, there are different symptoms between the flu and a cold.

While cold symptoms can make people feel bad for a few days, flu symptoms can make people quite ill for a few days to weeks. The flu can also result in serious health problems such as pneumonia and hospitalizations.

What are common cold symptoms?

According to WebMD, cold symptoms usually begin with a sore throat, which usually goes away after a day or two. Nasal symptoms, runny nose, and congestion follow, along with a cough by the fourth and fifth days. Fever is uncommon in adults, but a slight fever is possible. Children are more likely to have a fever with a cold.

With cold symptoms, your nose teems with watery nasal secretions for the first few days. Later, these become thicker and darker. Dark mucus is natural and does not usually mean you have developed a bacterial infection, such as a sinus infection.

Cold symptoms usually last for about a week.