Cold and Flu

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Influenza or Seasonal Flu

Seasonal flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by flu viruses. Approximately 5-20% of U.S. residents get the flu each year.

  • Flu season typically peaks in January or February.
  • Getting the flu vaccine is your best protection against the flu. Flu-related complications include pneumonia and dehydration.
  • Illness from seasonal flu usually lasts one to two weeks.

Seasonal flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by flu viruses. It spreads between people and can cause mild to severe illness. In some cases, the flu can lead to death.

In the United States, flu season occurs in the fall and winter. Seasonal flu activity usually peaks in January or February, but it can occur as early as October and as late as May.

Most experts believe that you get the flu when a person with the flu coughs, sneezes, or talks and droplets containing their germs land in your mouth or nose. You can also get the flu by touching a surface or object that has the flu virus on it and then touching your mouth, eyes, or nose.

Some groups are more likely to experience complications from the seasonal flu, including:

  • Seniors (those age 65 and older)
  • Children (especially those younger than 2)
  • People with chronic health conditions
  • College students living in close quarters

Get the flu vaccine as soon as it is available. Lindley Health at Washington and Lee will announce several flu vaccine clinics. You should also follow Respiratory Etiquette to keep yourself healthy.

  • Bacterial pneumonia
  • Ear or sinus infections
  • Dehydration
  • Worsening of chronic health conditions

Most people who get the flu feel much better within one or two weeks.

Most healthy adults can infect others one day before symptoms develop and five to seven days after symptoms appear. Some people, especially young children and people with weakened immune systems, might be contagious for a longer period.

You are unlikely to get infected with the same exact strain of flu more than once. It is possible to be infected with flu virus more than once in a season, though, because several different strains of flu virus circulate each year. Exposure to a particular strain of flu virus may help protect you against that strain in the future. But it will not protect you from infection with other flu virus strains.

Many people use “stomach flu” to describe illness with nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Many different viruses, bacteria, or parasites can cause these symptoms. While the flu can sometimes cause vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea – more commonly in children than adults – these problems are rarely the main symptoms of the flu. The flu is a respiratory disease and not a stomach or intestinal disease.