How long flu

Read more about treating flu at home When to see your GP Consider visiting your GP if: you're 65 years of age or over you're pregnant you have a long-term medical condition — such as diabetes , heart disease, lung disease, kidney disease or a neurological disease you have a weakened immune system — for example because you're having chemotherapy or have HIV you develop chest pain, shortness of breath , difficulty breathing or start coughing up blood your symptoms are getting worse over time or haven't improved after a week In these situations, you may need medication to treat or prevent complications of flu.

Read more about antiviral medication for flu How long does flu last and is it serious? If you have flu, you generally start to feel ill within a few days of being infected.

Read more about the complications of flu How you catch flu The flu virus is contained in the millions of tiny droplets that come out of the nose and mouth when someone who is infected coughs or sneezes. Preventing the spread of flu You can help stop yourself catching flu or spreading it to others with good hygiene measures.

Always wash your hands regularly with soap and warm water, as well as: regularly cleaning surfaces such as your computer keyboard, telephone and door handles to get rid of germs using tissues to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze putting used tissues in a bin as soon as possible You can also help stop the spread of flu by avoiding unnecessary contact with other people while you're infectious.

Read more about how to stop the spread of flu What's the difference between a cold and a flu? Symptoms of flu The symptoms of flu usually develop within 1 to 3 days of becoming infected. However, you may have a lingering cough and still feel very tired for a further couple of weeks. Main symptoms Flu can give you any of the following symptoms: a sudden fever — a temperature of 38C The main differences are: Flu symptoms: come on quickly usually include fever and aching muscles make you feel too unwell to continue your usual activities Cold symptoms: come on gradually mainly affect your nose and throat are fairly mild, so you can still get around and are usually well enough to go to work When to visit your GP If you are otherwise fit and healthy, there's usually no need to visit your GP if you have flu-like symptoms.

Read more about how to treat flu Consider visiting your GP if: you're 65 years of age or over you're pregnant you have a long-term medical condition — such as diabetes , heart disease, lung disease, kidney disease or a neurological disease you have a weakened immune system — for example, because you're having chemotherapy or have HIV you develop chest pain, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, or start coughing up blood your symptoms are getting worse over time or haven't improved after a week In these situations, you may need extra treatment to prevent or treat complications of flu.

Treating flu Usually, you can manage flu symptoms yourself at home and there's no need to see a GP. This includes people who: are 65 or over are pregnant have a lung, heart, kidney, liver or neurological disease have a weakened immune system have diabetes In these cases, your GP may suggest taking antiviral medication.

Managing your symptoms at home If you're otherwise healthy, you can look after yourself at home by resting, keeping warm and drinking plenty of water to avoid dehydration. Antiviral medication In , the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence NICE recommended that doctors should consider treating people in the at-risk groups mentioned above with the antiviral medications oseltamivir Tamiflu or zanamivir Relenza to reduce the risk of complications of flu.

Antibiotics Antibiotics aren't prescribed for flu as they have no effect on viruses, although they may be prescribed if you develop a complication of flu, such as a bacterial chest infection.

Complications of flu Complications of flu mostly affect people in high-risk groups, such as the elderly, pregnant women and those who have a long-term medical condition or weakened immune system. Chest infections The most common complication of flu is a bacterial chest infection , such as bronchitis. Worsening of existing conditions In some people with long-term health conditions, getting flu can make their condition worse. Pregnancy complications If you get flu while you're pregnant, there's a risk that the infection could cause problems with your pregnancy.

Rare complications Less common complications of flu include: tonsillitis — inflammation of the tonsils otitis media — an infection of the middle ear sinusitis — inflammation of the lining of the sinuses small, air-filled cavities behind your cheekbones and forehead febrile seizures convulsions — a fit that can happen when a child has a fever meningitis — infection in the brain and spinal cord encephalitis — inflammation of the brain.

Tweet Click here to share this page on Twitter This will open a new window. Print Click here to print this page This will open your print options in a new window. Source: NHS 24 - Opens in new browser window. Last updated:. How can we improve this page? Email Address e. Prescription influenza antiviral drugs are FDA-approved to treat flu. People who are hospitalized with flu or who are at increased risk of complications and have flu symptoms are recommended to be treated with antiviral drugs as soon as possible after illness onset.

FDA has issued emergency use authorizations external icon EUAs to allow healthcare providers to use investigational products that are not yet approved, or that are approved for other uses, to treat patients with COVID if certain legal requirements are met external icon.

There are multiple FDA-licensed influenza vaccines produced annually to protect against the 4 flu viruses that scientists expect will circulate each year.

To receive weekly email updates about Seasonal Flu, enter your email address:. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Influenza Flu. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Minus Related Pages. On This Page. Learn more about how to protect yourself and others from flu this season. Signs and Symptoms Similarities: Both COVID and flu can have varying degrees of signs and symptoms, ranging from no symptoms asymptomatic to severe symptoms.

The influenza virus can also survive on surfaces, such as doorknobs and tables, for up to 24 hours. Viruses live longer on materials such as stainless steel, plastic, and other hard surfaces.

To avoid transmitting the virus to others, wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face or mouth. You can also take over-the-counter pain and fever relievers, such as ibuprofen Advil or acetaminophen Tylenol , to help relieve your symptoms. In some cases, your doctor may prescribe an antiviral medication. Antiviral medications can reduce the length of your illness and may help prevent complications. Antiviral medications must be taken within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms in order to be effective.

Common antiviral prescriptions include:. The U. Receiving the flu vaccine can help prevent influenza infection from occurring in the first place. Most flu symptoms will typically resolve within a week. However, the flu can cause serious complications in groups with known risk factors or people who have preexisting conditions. If you or your child experience any of the following symptoms, seek medical attention immediately:.

If you come down with the flu, your symptoms will typically resolve on their own within a week. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. Less often, a person might get flu by touching a surface or object that has flu virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. People with flu are most contagious in the first three to four days after their illness begins.

Most healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5 to 7 days after becoming sick. Children and some people with weakened immune systems may pass the virus for longer than 7 days. Symptoms can begin about 2 days but can range from 1 to 4 days after the virus enters the body. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.

Some people can be infected with a flu virus but have no symptoms.