Cold, Flu, & Cough Health Center

In most healthy people, influenza (flu) will go away in 5 to 7 days. The worst symptoms usually last 3 to 4 days. Home treatment to ease symptoms and prevent complications is usually all that is needed.

Antiviral medicines can be taken to:

• Reduce the severity and duration of symptoms caused by infection with influenza A or B virus.
• Shorten the length of the illness.
• Control outbreaks of the flu in nursing homes.
• Reduce the spread of the virus to people at high risk for severe complications of the flu (high-risk groups).
• Reduce complications from the flu.

People at high risk of complications are encouraged to contact a doctor within 48 hours of their first symptoms to find out whether they need medicine to shorten the illness. They also should call a doctor to receive medicine if they have been exposed to the flu. For more information, see:

Flu: Should I Take Antiviral Medicine?

If medicines are not used, contact your doctor if symptoms of a complication develop.

What to Think About

Yearly immunization with the inactivated influenza vaccine(What is a PDF document?) (flu shot) or the nasal spray flu vaccine(What is a PDF document?) prevents flu infection and its complications in most people. The nasal spray vaccine is approved for use by healthy people who are 2 to 49 years old. You should not get the nasal spray vaccine if you:

• Have heart disease.
• Have lung disease, including asthma.
• Have diabetes or kidney disease.
• Have a disease or take a medicine that causes problems with your immune system.
• Have a condition (such as a seizure disorder or cerebral palsy) that can cause breathing or swallowing problems.
• Are pregnant.
• Are younger than age 20 and you take aspirin or products with aspirin in them.

Before getting a flu vaccine, talk to your doctor if:

• You ever had a serious allergic reaction to eggs or to a previous dose of influenza vaccine.
• You have had Guillain-Barré syndrome.

The yearly immunization rate is typically low for people younger than 65 who are at high risk of developing the flu. All people in high-risk groups and those who could transmit the virus to them because of regular contact are strongly encouraged to get the flu vaccine.

Almost every community has a program that offers flu vaccines at low cost during the flu season. You also can get a flu vaccine during a routine visit to a doctor or pharmacy. Many health clinics have set hours at the start of the flu season for people to get flu vaccines without needing to make an appointment.

To help you decide if the flu vaccine is right for you, see:

Flu Vaccines: Should I Get a Flu Vaccine?

Although antiviral medicines sometimes prevent the flu, they do not work in the same way as a yearly immunization and should not replace a flu shot or dose of the nasal spray vaccine.