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WHEN we feel a little cough brewing, most of us jump to the assumption that we have a cold. But what is the likelihood it's hay fever, or Covid, or even whooping cough ? 4 Some symptoms of whooping cough, Covid and hay fever overlap Credit: Getty With the UK facing a whooping cough outbreak, new Covid strains circulating and pollen levels set to rise over the coming days, your tickly throat could be caused by any of the above options. Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, previously warned that we might be on the cusp the worst whooping cough epidemic in four decades.

"It used to be much more common in the last century up until the vaccine was introduced," he said. "However, this current year looks like we may see more cases than we have seen in any of the last 40 years." As for Covid, cases have risen again since the new highly contagious FLiRT variants started to spread rapidly throughout Britain.



The Met Office has warned pollen levels are set to rise in the South of England on the weekend, as temperatures are expected to reach 20C in places. Although some symptoms of whooping cough, Covid and hay fever overlap, there are some critical differences in how each condition manifests. Here is how to work out what is actually behind that pesky cough.

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