Influenza: Treatment Overview

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Treatment Overview

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:

Should I take antiviral medicine for the flu?

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?) (FluMist) prevents flu infection and its complications in most people. FluMist is approved for use by healthy people who are 2 to 49 years old. You should not use FluMist 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 had Guillain-Barré syndrome.
• Are pregnant.
• Have ever had an allergic reaction to FluMist or to eggs.
• Are younger than age 20 and you take aspirin or products with aspirin in them.

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 shot.

Almost every community has a program that offers flu shots at low cost during the months of October and November. You also can get a flu shot during a routine visit to a doctor during the same months. Many health clinics have set hours during October and November for people to get flu shots without needing to make an appointment.

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

Should I get a flu shot?

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 FluMist.

Last updated:	July 31, 2008
Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, W. David Colby IV, MSc, MD, FRCPC - Infectious Disease
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC