Doctors say this flu season was earlier and tougher than in years past. Robert Frank, MD, a pediatrician in the department of infectious diseases at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio, says this is likely due to the cyclical nature of the flu and the removal of Covid precautions from working from home, wearing masks and small social gatherings. ,
We asked doctors what to expect this year if the influenza virus causes illness in your home.
Which symptoms are most common?
The hallmark symptoms of the flu are fever, headache, chills, and body aches, says Dr. Frank. Sore throat and cough are also common, he says.
But not everyone with the flu will have a fever, says Ryan Meier, MD, an internal medicine physician in Nashville, Tenn., and president of the American College of Physicians.
In children, the influenza virus can infect the digestive tract and cause diarrhea, says Tochi Iroku-Malize, a family physician in Islip, NY, and president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Flu symptoms tend to appear suddenly, within a day or hours. “It’s such a sudden change, they can usually pinpoint exactly around the time they started feeling worse,” says Dr. Meier. it is said.
And unlike with colds, you’re less likely to be able to power through the symptoms. “You feel terrible,” Dr. Frank says. “You just want to go to bed and cover your head.”
How long do flu symptoms last?
Doctor. On average, the crushing fever, chills, and body aches last between three and five days, says Frank. But the fatigue and cough can last up to three weeks, he says.
Dr. Meier noted that the trajectory of the flu is highly individual and unpredictable.
“I’ve had people feel better after 72 hours and patients who felt really bad and couldn’t go to work for about two weeks,” he says. The amount of virus you get can affect how severe your symptoms are and how long they last.
Why can flu symptoms last so long?
People with the flu may start out feeling better and then get worse, often between 10 and 14 days, says Dr. Frank.
For people who have this worsening of symptoms, it may be a sign of a secondary bacterial infection, such as pneumonia. Pneumonia is often accompanied by a return of fever and a worsening cough, sometimes with difficulty breathing. People can also develop ear or sinus infections or even encephalitis, which occurs when the influenza virus gets into the spinal cord and can cause confusion and other symptoms, Dr. Maier says.
Dr. Iroku-Malizeh says to see your doctor if you have trouble breathing, are unable to eat or drink, or if you seem to be improving and then symptoms worsen.
Doctors say it is secondary infections, especially pneumonia, that often lead to people being hospitalized and can lead to flu-related deaths. Secondary bacterial infections from influenza need to be treated with antibiotics.
How long are you contagious when you have the flu?
People shed flu virus for about four to five days, says Seema Lakdawala, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Emory University School of Medicine, who studies influenza transmission.
But the trick with the flu is that you’re contagious 24 hours before symptoms appear, Dr. Lakdawala says.
Fever is associated with a higher viral load, says Dr. Meier, so people are highly contagious when they have a fever. He advises his patients to stay home until they are fever-free without using fever-reducing drugs for at least 24 hours. After that, they are much less likely to be contagious.
Dr Lakdawala noted that since the H3N2 variant of the flu circulating this year is more likely to be transmitted through close contact, wearing masks, increasing ventilation and social distancing will reduce the chances of the virus spreading.
People usually become infected about one to two days after being exposed to the influenza virus. “If you don’t have a symptomatic onset within three to four days [of being exposed to someone with the flu]You’re probably in the clear,” she says.
How is flu treated?
In addition to rest and fluids, doctors recommend treating individual symptoms. For fever and body aches, for example, Dr. Your doctor may recommend acetaminophen and ibuprofen, says Iroku-Malize. She says that some people find relief from congestion with a mentholated topical rub.
Antiviral medications such as Tamiflu can shorten the duration of flu symptoms by a day or two. The drugs also reduce the risk of complications such as secondary infection and hospitalization. Doctors recommend antivirals for people at high risk of flu complications, including people age 65 and older and those with chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Taking an antiviral within the first 48 hours of symptoms is most effective, says Dr. Meier. The most common side effects of the drugs are nausea and vomiting.
If you have flu symptoms and are at increased risk of complications, it is important to get tested for the flu so that you can receive a diagnosis and begin treatment in time for antivirals to be most effective.
Is there anything else I can do to lower my odds of getting the flu?
Doctors stress the importance of getting your flu shot, which lowers your risk of infection and complications if you get hit by the virus. This vaccine is especially important for older adults, young children, pregnant women, and people with other health conditions.
And it’s not too late to get your shot this year, Dr. Frank says. They noted that flu activity is typically highest in January and February. Furthermore, there are two main types of flu that circulate, Type A and Type B. Even if you’ve recently had the flu, you could still have the second type, he says.