Table 3 Participants' descriptions of influenza-like illness and flu

Influenza-like illness, it is when I feel miserable, with light fever, I do not feel good [respondent 27, 47-year-old man]

Flu, I have got a temperature of 40°C, I sweat, I am not able to stand, I am not able to eat anything [respondent 27, 47-year-old man]

I would say a general tiredness, chills, having a common cold [respondent 6, 26-year-old woman]

Flu is more violent, it is fever, it is when I cannot stand up. It is not frequent for me, but it happened to me [respondent 19, 36-year-old woman]

With influenza-like illness, it is still possible to take one’s car and to move [respondent 3, 33-year-old woman]

Chills and pain everywhere. And after, I do not feel good, and just wish to stay in bed [respondent 6, 26-year-old woman]

Influenza-like illness, I could say cold, throat pain, with no aches. Cold, aches and little fever [respondent 32, 55-year-old woman]

It is when we cannot move, when the temperature is so high that I do not get out of bed [respondent 3, 33-year-old woman]

Influenza-like illness I would say it may not yet be broken out, you feel something is to happen. Flu-like symptoms, it is before flu [respondent 14, 70-year-old man]

It is 38°C. Flu it is actually bed ridden, you do not move [respondent 32, 55-year-old woman]

I do not use, I could vaguely see what it is, it is between two things. It is worse than a cold, and not exactly flu. For me, either I have a cold, or I have the flu. There are only two. [respondent 12, 25-year-old man]

I would say that what is common between all people with flu is that they were completely exhausted and most of the time, they were staying in bed [respondent 31, 43-year-old man]