Flu Facts—What You Need to Know About This Year’s Flu Season
Time to brush up on your flu facts, from flu symptoms to how long the flu lasts, says Bottom Line’s infectious disease expert William Schaffner, MD.
With a mild infection, expect a sore throat, runny nose and even a mild cough. You likely will feel out of sorts for a day or two—with body aches, fatigue, and a fever and chills. For more serious infections—flu can make you feel so weak that you have to be in bed for two to three days, with body aches, a high fever and a very persistent hacking cough. Even worse: It can be complicated by pneumonia. On the other hand, some people infected with the virus don’t have any symptoms at all but still can transmit the bug to others.
As an adult, you’re most infectious for a day or even a little longer before you develop symptoms and then for a day or two after symptoms start. Children produce more virus than do adults and can remain contagious for a longer period of time.
The more serious your infection, the longer your symptoms are going to last. It can take some people as long as a week and a half to feel completely better.
The vaccine is good at preventing severe infection. Very much like the COVID vaccine, your illness will be milder if you’ve been vaccinated than if you weren’t vaccinated.
How well the vaccine prevents flu completely varies greatly from year to year, depending upon how much of a shift in flu strains there is—and, unfortunately, we can’t predict that in advance. It’s always evaluated based on the previous year, and last year was a reasonably good year—between 40% and 60% of vaccinated people did not get the flu.
Updated vaccines will be available for both flu and COVID this fall. The best time to get the vaccine is between the very end of September and the early part of November, with October being the sweet spot. The vaccine’s protection does wane, so don’t get the shot too early. Elderly and/or frail people who don’t have the most vigorous immune systems don’t want to lose that protection before the end of flu season. All three vaccines—for flu, COVID and respiratory syncytial virus( RSV—can be given at the same time. Influenza and COVID vaccines are recommended for everyone age six months and older. The RSV vaccine is recommended for everyone 75 years and older and for people ages 60 to 74 if they have chronic health conditions.
You might feel better after taking over-the-counter acetaminophen or ibuprofen. But if you’re in a high-risk category—over age 65 and/or frail…have a chronic illness, such as heart or lung disease or diabetes…are at high risk for complications, such as pneumonia or are immunocompromised…or are pregnant, call your doctor at the first sign of flu and ask about a prescription for an antiviral drug. There are now four approved antivirals for influenza treatment—oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza), both five-day treatments…peramivir (Rapivab), a single injection…and baloxavir (Xofluza), a single-dose pill. They all work best if started within 48 hours of symptom onset. They shorten the time you are sick by only about a day, but they can lessen the severity of flu symptoms and help reduce risk for complications.
Although many people have become mask-averse, if you’re in one of the high-risk groups listed above, don’t hesitate to wear one when you go to any crowded indoor setting, such as the shopping mall, supermarket, religious services, concerts and sports arenas. That extra layer of protection will help protect you from all the winter respiratory viruses—flu, COVID and RSV.
