There are a lot of viruses out there to make you sick. There is the rhinovirus, which causes the common cold, and the family of rotaviruses, which cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. There is the adenovirus, which causes conjunctivitis, coughs, a runny nose, and body aches. The human respiratory syncytial virus usually infects young children, giving them a fever, a nasty cough, and a runny nose. But none of these is the influenza virus, which is the only one we want to track. Without a test, your primary care physician cannot tell you which is causing your symptoms.
