Influenza (flu)

Reviewed by Dr Janice Main, senior lecturer and honorary consultant physician in infectious diseases and general medicine

How long will the influenza last?
Usually, influenza lasts three to five days. If it goes on for more than a week or if the symptoms are very severe, you are advised to consult your doctor.

A bad case of influenza has the potential to develop into a more serious condition like pneumonia or sinus trouble and in rare cases it can be life-threatening.

Who is at risk?
Influenza can be dangerous to the elderly, especially those who live in residential homes where there is more risk of contracting the virus through contact with others.

People with lung and heart diseases are also more likely to develop complications due to an attack of flu. Those at risk are advised to get a yearly vaccination. Consult your doctor if you have any problems or questions.

Other important facts

Both colds and flu are caused by a virus but the symptoms of influenza are usually more severe.

Antibiotics have no effect against influenza.

Damp or cold cannot cause influenza. However, sudden changes in temperature may cause the symptoms to appear more quickly.

People are seldom infected by the same type of influenza twice because resistance develops within two or four weeks. However, the influenza virus constantly mutates into slightly different versions of itself, which is one reason why vaccination is sometimes ineffective. The vaccination also needs to be done yearly to keep up the person's level of immunity. The type of vaccination given each year changes slightly, as this is the 'best guess' vaccination to cover the likely type of influenza virus that will be most common that year.

It is possible to pass on the infection the day before you develop the symptoms yourself. You can also pass on the infection until the day after your fever has disappeared.

Current evidence does not support a preventative effect of homeopathy in influenza and influenza-like syndromes. Amantadine seems to shorten the duration by only one day, making this a dubious treatment option for a self-limiting disease.

Vaccination should still be the preventive measure for patients at risk, ie those over 65 years and with heart or lung diseases. One new medicine) similarly seems to only reduce the duration by one day and lacks proper validation in the at-risk population.

Despite the bewildering number of over-the-counter remedies for 'flu', all are symptom relievers only, and the number of active ingredients is quite small. People taking other medicines should check with the pharmacist before taking a flu remedy in case of interaction between medicines.

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