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Influenza, or the Flu, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by Influenza viruses, spreading through respiratory droplets or contaminated surfaces. Symptoms include fever, chills, muscle aches, and fatigue. Annual vaccination and good hygiene practices are key to prevention.
Influenza, commonly known as the Flu, is an acute respiratory illness caused by Influenza viruses, primarily types A and B. It is highly contagious and spreads through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or by touching surfaces contaminated with the virus.
Symptoms typically include fever, chills, muscle aches, cough, congestion, runny nose, headaches, and fatigue. While most people recover within a week or two without requiring medical treatment, Influenza can lead to serious complications, such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and sinus and ear infections, particularly in young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and individuals with chronic health conditions.
Annual vaccination is the most effective way to prevent Influenza and its complications, alongside good hygiene practices like frequent handwashing and avoiding close contact with infected individuals.
Influenza (Flu) is an acute respiratory illness caused by the Influenza virus. There are three types of Influenza virus: A, B, and C. If you develop a Flu-like illness during an outbreak of seasonal Flu, it is likely to be caused by the Influenza A or B virus.
Each winter, the Influenza virus undergoes minor mutations to one or both of its surface antigens, a process known as antigenic drift. This causes seasonal Flu outbreaks, as people have only partial immunity from previous infection. In the UK, most Flu cases typically occur within a six to eight week period during the winter, usually between December and March.
Influenza is highly infectious and spreads from person to person through droplets created when an infected individual sneezes or coughs. You can also contract it by touching a surface where the virus has been deposited. Flu can spread quickly in these ways.
Infection with Influenza A or B viruses is usually self-limiting in the general population, with most people recovering completely within 2-7 days. Typically, symptoms are at their worst after 1-2 days and then gradually ease. However, an irritating cough may persist for a week or so after other symptoms have resolved.
Complicated Influenza is more severe and is more often associated with type A infection rather than type B. It is defined by signs and symptoms that require hospital admission, involve the lower respiratory tract or central nervous system, or cause significant exacerbation of an underlying medical condition. Treatment may require more aggressive supportive care or hospitalisation, including the use of antibiotics and/or antivirals.
The severity of seasonal Flu is often underestimated. In the UK, seasonal Flu claims an average of around 10,000 lives annually (ranging from less than 1,000 to more than 20,000). The annual Flu vaccine is generally only 40-60% effective against the year’s new strains.
Illness caused by the Influenza virus tends to be more severe than those caused by other viruses that produce Flu-like symptoms. Even if you are young and fit, Flu can make you ill enough to require bed rest.
Flu symptoms come on very quickly and can include:
The symptoms in children and babies are similar but can also include ear pain, marked lethargy and lack of energy, difficulty breathing, and poor feeding. Some young children with Flu may experience a febrile convulsion (a seizure that occurs in some children with a fever).
Most symptoms typically last for 3-5 days, but cough, tiredness, and malaise may persist for 1-2 weeks. Infectivity usually continues for five days from the onset of symptoms, although children can remain infectious for up to two weeks, and the severely immunocompromised can shed the virus for several weeks.
If you are generally healthy then you are unlikely to develop complications from Flu, however, you should see a doctor if symptoms change or become worse. Complications are more likely to develop if you are in any of the at-risk groups listed in the section below. The most common complication is a chest infection, which may develop in addition to the viral infection (secondary infection). This can sometimes become serious and develop into pneumonia. A course of antibiotic medication will usually cure this, but a bacterial infection can sometimes become life-threatening, particularly in those who are frail or elderly. Other complications can include a sinus or ear infection. Other serious complications are rare, such as brain inflammation (encephalitis).
Please note that with Flu or a Flu-like illness, it is common to have a lingering cough for 1-2 weeks after other symptoms have subsided. Green phlegm (sputum) does not necessarily indicate that you have a secondary chest infection. Symptoms to look out for that may suggest a secondary chest infection include:
“At-risk individuals” include people over 65 years old, children under 6 months, pregnant women (at any stage of pregnancy or up to two weeks postpartum), and people with any of the following conditions:
Residents of nursing homes are particularly at risk of serious complications because of their age, high rate of chronic disease, and living in a closed community.
The single best way to reduce the risk of seasonal Flu and its potentially serious complications is to get vaccinated each year. The optimal time to receive a Flu vaccine is in the autumn, before Flu starts spreading.
Good health habits, such as avoiding contact with sick individuals, covering your cough, and frequently washing your hands, can help prevent the spread of germs and respiratory illnesses like Flu. There also are antiviral drugs that can be used to treat and prevent Flu.
Post-exposure prophylaxis
Contacts in an at-risk group who are not adequately protected through vaccination (either due to infection by a different circulating strain or exposure within 14 days post-vaccination), should be offered preventative treatment following exposure to a person in the same household or residential setting with Influenza-like illness (when Influenza is circulating). Certain populations that are susceptible to localised outbreaks, such as those in care homes, prisons, or detention centres, may be considered for antiviral prophylaxis regardless of their vaccination status. Prophylaxis should be started as soon as possible following exposure, ideally within 48 hours.
Your immune system will usually clear viruses that cause Influenza and Flu-like illnesses. Treatment aims to ease symptoms until the infection resolves, and to prevent complications.
General advice
To prevent spreading the infection, stay at home as much as possible, especially during the first five days when you are most contagious. Wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water, catch sneezes and coughs in a tissue, and promptly dispose of the tissue in a bin.
Paracetamol and/or Ibuprofen can help lower your temperature and also ease aches and pains. Drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. Decongestant drops, throat lozenges, and saline nasal drops may be helpful to ease nose and throat symptoms.
Antiviral medicines
Antiviral medicines called Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and Zanamivir (Relenza) are sometimes used to treat Influenza. While these medicines do not kill the virus, they interfere with virus’s ability to multiply. Antiviral medicines do not cure Flu or offer long-term protection against it. Even without antiviral medication, you are still likely to make a full recovery. However, these medicines may reduce the risk of developing complications and can help reduce the severity and duration of symptoms by a day or two.
An antiviral medicine may be prescribed if you are at increased risk of developing complications when you have Flu. Treatment is usually taken for five days. GPs are only allowed to prescribe an antiviral medicine when national surveillance schemes indicate that there is a significant presence of Flu in the community. An antiviral medicine is also often used in people who are admitted to hospital with Flu.
Medication may also be prescribed to certain individuals to prevent Flu, such as if you live in a residential home where an outbreak has occurred. It may also be given to those at increased risk of complications who have been in close contact with someone infected with Flu.
Antiviral medications should be administered within 48 hours of the onset of Flu symptoms or after contact with someone who has the Flu. This is because the sooner they are taken, the more effective they are.
Other serious illnesses, such as meningitis, malaria, or pneumonia, can present with similar symptoms to the Flu during their initial stages. If you have a more serious condition, additional symptoms typically emerge alongside those previously mentioned.
Flu-like symptoms to look out for which could mean you have a different and more severe illness include:
It is important to tell a doctor if you have Flu-like symptoms and you have been to a country within the previous year where malaria is present. Initial symptoms of malaria can be similar to Flu.
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You can be confident that your treatment will be 100% genuine, safe, and effective as we only use medications procured from licensed manufacturers and trusted UK wholesalers.
Rest assured that your treatment will be delivered in plain packaging for complete discretion.
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