Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow Long Flu LastsHow Long Flu Is ContagiousSymptomsWhen to Call Your ProviderDiagnosisTreatmentComplicationsPreventionNext in Flu GuideHow Long Is the Flu Contagious?
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How Long Flu Lasts
How Long Flu Is Contagious
Symptoms
When to Call Your Provider
Diagnosis
Treatment
Complications
Prevention
Next in Flu Guide
There are two answers to how long the flu lasts, depending on whether you have a typical respiratory illness or develop complications. For most people, flu progresses through predictable stages.
But even after flu symptoms end, it can take longer to feel like yourself again.You may have a cough and feel tired for weeks. Your fever could return and it may take time to regain your appetite.
Young children, older adults, and those with chronic health conditions like asthma and diabetes have a higher risk of developing complications. Complications can lead to hospitalization or extend your health challenges long after the flu virus clears out.
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How Long Does the Flu Last?
After you’re exposed to the flu virus, it takes one to four days for the infection to take hold. This time is the incubation period. Most people start feeling sick within 48 hours of being exposed to the virus.
Flu symptoms come on fast and strong. Once symptoms appear, they follow atimelineof four stages: the incubation period, days one to three, days four to seven, and after day eight.
Symptoms are at their worst (peak) on the second or third day, then gradually improve over days four through seven.Symptoms like a cough andmalaise(a general feeling of being unwell) can last two weeks or longer, even in people who are generally healthy.
The flu typically lasts for three to seven days without treatment.Starting anantiviralmedication on the first or second day after symptoms appear can shorten the duration.
How Long Is the Flu Contagious?
Asymptomatic people—those who don’t have symptoms and aren’t aware they’re infected—can spread the flu.You can pass the flu virus to others starting a day or two before your symptoms start.
Adults with the flu can pass the virus for five to seven days after symptoms begin, but they’re the most contagious in the first three to four days after symptoms start. Children and people with aweakened immune systemmay spread flu to others for longer than a week.
If you’re wondering whether you’re still contagious or if your child can return to school or daycare, you can talk with your healthcare provider.
General guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that adults and children should remain home until their fever has resolved without the use of fever-reducing medications and their symptoms are improving for at least 24 hours.
Commonflu symptomsinclude:
Gastrointestinal symptoms can happen but are not the main symptoms of influenza. Adults with the flu will occasionally have vomiting and diarrhea, but those symptoms are most common in kids and babies.
Flu symptoms can range from mild to severe.You should see your healthcare provideror seek immediate medical attention if:
You might be able to diagnose yourself with the flu if it comes on quickly with lots of body aches and fatigue. Those symptoms can be a sign that you have the flu and not a simple cold.
Healthcare providers can confirm a flu diagnosis using lab tests, often doing a rapid flu test in the office. They take a swab of your nose or throat and run the sample through a test that gives results in about 15 minutes.
You could also purchase anat-home flu test(or have someone else bring it to you to avoid spreading the virus in public). The FDA approved an over-the-counter test that detects the influenza A and B viruses and the COVID-19 virus. You use the swab in the test kit to collect a sample from your nose and you have the results in about 30 minutes.
Antiviral drugs given within the first one to two days of symptoms can help ease flu symptoms and shorten the length of your illness. While anyone can take antiviral drugs, they’re especially recommended for people with a high risk of developing complications.
Four FDA-approved antiviral drugs fortreating the fluare:
All of these medications need to be started soon after the onset of symptoms, so reach out to your provider if you think you have the flu. They may also recommend some over-the-counter (OTC) products to help manage your symptoms.
The biggest risk of having the flu iscomplications. Flu complications are more common if you:
Common complications from the flu include:
Rare and more serious flu complications can include:
If you’re in a group with a high risk for flu complications, you should contact your healthcare provider if you think you have the flu.
The most effective way to avoid catching the flu or getting a serious case of the flu if you get infected is to get aflu vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that nearly everyone ages 6 months and older get an annual influenza vaccine.
Everyday hygiene and safety measures—like frequently washing hands and covering coughs and sneezes—also prevent the spread of the flu.
Summary
For most people, the flu will get better on its own within three to seven days. However, symptoms like a cough or fatigue may persist for two weeks.
Young children, adults over the age of 65, and people with underlying health conditions have a high risk of flu-related complications. As a result, their flu may last longer and they develop other symptoms the persist long after the flu virus is gone.
Everyone in the high-risk category should connect with their healthcare provider at the first sign of flu to receive treatment that helps prevent complications. Anyone who thinks they have flu should also connect with their provider within the first two days of symptoms if they want antiviral medications. These medications relieve symptoms and shorten your illness.
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.Understanding stages of flu.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Clinical signs and symptoms of influenza.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How flu spreads.Han A, Jiat Ling Poon, Powers JM, et al.Using the Influenza Patient-reported Outcome (FLU-PRO) diary to evaluate symptoms of influenza viral infection in a healthy human challenge model. 2018;18(1). doi:10.1186/s12879-018-3220-8Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Flu: What to do if you get sick.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs and symptoms of flu.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Rapid diagnostic testing for influenza.US Food and Drug Administration.FDA authorizes first over-the-counter at-home test to detect both influenza and COVID-19 viruses.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Treating flu with antiviral drugs.Centers forDisease Control and Prevention.People at increased risk for flu complications.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.ACIP Recommendations
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.Understanding stages of flu.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Clinical signs and symptoms of influenza.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How flu spreads.Han A, Jiat Ling Poon, Powers JM, et al.Using the Influenza Patient-reported Outcome (FLU-PRO) diary to evaluate symptoms of influenza viral infection in a healthy human challenge model. 2018;18(1). doi:10.1186/s12879-018-3220-8Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Flu: What to do if you get sick.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs and symptoms of flu.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Rapid diagnostic testing for influenza.US Food and Drug Administration.FDA authorizes first over-the-counter at-home test to detect both influenza and COVID-19 viruses.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Treating flu with antiviral drugs.Centers forDisease Control and Prevention.People at increased risk for flu complications.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.ACIP Recommendations
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.Understanding stages of flu.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Clinical signs and symptoms of influenza.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How flu spreads.Han A, Jiat Ling Poon, Powers JM, et al.Using the Influenza Patient-reported Outcome (FLU-PRO) diary to evaluate symptoms of influenza viral infection in a healthy human challenge model. 2018;18(1). doi:10.1186/s12879-018-3220-8Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Flu: What to do if you get sick.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs and symptoms of flu.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Rapid diagnostic testing for influenza.US Food and Drug Administration.FDA authorizes first over-the-counter at-home test to detect both influenza and COVID-19 viruses.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Treating flu with antiviral drugs.Centers forDisease Control and Prevention.People at increased risk for flu complications.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.ACIP Recommendations
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.Understanding stages of flu.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Clinical signs and symptoms of influenza.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How flu spreads.
Han A, Jiat Ling Poon, Powers JM, et al.Using the Influenza Patient-reported Outcome (FLU-PRO) diary to evaluate symptoms of influenza viral infection in a healthy human challenge model. 2018;18(1). doi:10.1186/s12879-018-3220-8
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Flu: What to do if you get sick.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Signs and symptoms of flu.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Rapid diagnostic testing for influenza.
US Food and Drug Administration.FDA authorizes first over-the-counter at-home test to detect both influenza and COVID-19 viruses.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Treating flu with antiviral drugs.
Centers forDisease Control and Prevention.People at increased risk for flu complications.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.ACIP Recommendations
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