Is it an allergy or a cold?

HONOLULU (KHON2) — You may have noticed that more people are suffering from runny noses and watery eyes. Is it an allergy or the start of a cold?

The main triggers for allergies include seasonal pollen from grasses, trees and weeds, animal dander, mold/fungal spores and dust mites or cockroach allergens.

It is not always easy to distinguish between an allergy and a cold as there are many overlapping symptoms.

“But some of the key symptoms that indicate you probably have an illness or an infection, are things like fever. You’re not going to get a fever with your seasonal allergies. Also, the amount of discharge tends to be much more thick and discolored like yellow or green when you have an infection. Also body aches, a lot of fatigue, especially sudden onset, that’s more consistent with an infection,” said Dr. Jennifer Mbuthia, allergist/immunologist, The Queen’s Medical Center.

August is also National Immunization Awareness Month, and Dr. Mbuthia said there are several vaccinations that can help prevent respiratory infections.

“There’s your annual flu shot, as well as the updated Covid vaccine. There’s also the vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), often recommended for older adults. Also, measles, which is a respiratory infection and is on the rise. And the pertussis-containing vaccine. So, pertussis is commonly known as Whooping Cough, and we are seeing an increase in cases of Whooping Cough in Hawaii. And for older adults, there’s the pneumonia vaccine. So, if you haven’t ever received one, you should talk to your primary care doctor about getting that vaccine as well,” Dr. Mbuthia said.

And finally, Dr. Mbuthia advises people who are sick to stay at home if possible.

“Or, if you cannot avoid going in, then you should consider masking so the less we can have it spread in our community, the better we will be overall.”

To learn more about the services provided by The Queen’s Health Systems, visit their website at or call 808-691-1000.