The flu (influenza)

What is the flu?

Influenza, or the flu, is a highly contagious viral infection that infects your upper airways and lungs.

You're more likely to get the flu in winter, but in tropical and subtropical areas like Queensland, it can be present all year round. Flu cases usually peak in the winter months.

Most people get better within a week, but sometimes a cough and tiredness can last longer.

A small number of people get pneumonia, inflammation of the heart muscle or have neurological problems. Although it's rare, some get encephalitis, a life threatening brain inflammation.

Having a cold or the flu

Colds and the flu are both viral respiratory illnesses, but they're caused by different viruses.

Flu symptoms are usually more severe and last longer, while colds usually pass in a few days.

It's often hard to tell which one you have, because they can have similar symptoms.

Who's at risk?

Getting a yearly flu vaccination is recommended for all aged 6 months and over. Flu is the most common vaccine preventable disease in Australia. Although it can be a mild disease, it can also cause very serious illness in otherwise healthy people. It can require hospitalisation and can even lead to death.

People at most risk are:

• children aged 6 months to less than 5 years
• people aged 65 years and over
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aged 6 months and over
• pregnant women
• people aged 6 months and over with medical conditions that increase their risk of influenza disease

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) clinical advice statement has a list of these medical conditions [PDF 254 KB].

Signs and symptoms

You'll usually get symptoms 1 to 3 days after getting infected. These may include:

• a fever
• a sore throat
• a dry cough
• headaches
• muscle or joint pain
• tiredness or exhaustion.

Children are more likely to have nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Elderly people might not get a fever or have other common symptoms. They may instead be confused or have trouble breathing. If they have a chronic health condition, it may get worse.

How it spreads

You can infect other people from 24 hours before you have any symptoms to a week afterwards.

You'll usually get the flu from:

• an infected person coughing or sneezing near you
• touching contaminated surfaces, such as hands, remote controls, phones, keyboards and door handles, and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes.

Children and people with a compromised immune system can be infectious for longer.

Prevention

The best way to protect yourself is to get vaccinated every year and practise good hygiene. You need a vaccine every year because the strains change each year. The best time to get vaccinated is before the flu season starts.

Prevention includes:

• staying at home if you're sick and not seeing other people
• washing your hands often with soap and water or using a hand sanitiser
• sneezing or coughing into your arm or a tissue
• throwing away used tissues and washing your hands after coughing or sneezing
• staying 1.5 metres (2 big steps) away from anyone who's coughing or sneezing
• cleaning surfaces like benches and desks with detergent or an anti-bacterial spray
• not sharing cups, glasses, cutlery, lip balm, toys or anything that may have touched someone else's mouth or nose.

Treatment

There's no specific treatment for the flu and you'll usually start feeling better in about a week or so.

It can help to:

• rest and drink plenty fluids, such as water, to avoid dehydration
• take paracetamol or ibuprofen to relieve a high temperature.

When to get help

In an emergency, call triple zero (000) and ask for an ambulance.

If you're not sure whether to go to an emergency department, call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) or see your GP if you:

• are worried about your symptoms
• are in a high risk group
• have a fever of 38º C or more that isn't improving.