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KidsHealth > Parents > Infections > Bacterial & Viral Infections > Influenza (Flu)

Influenza, commonly known as "the flu," is a highly contagious viral infection of the respiratory tract. Although the flu affects both sexes and all age groups, kids tend to get it more often than adults. The illness even has its own season - from November to April, with most cases occurring between late December and early March.

What Are the Symptoms of the Flu?
The flu is often confused with the common cold, but flu symptoms tend to develop quickly (usually 1 to 4 days after a person is exposed to the flu virus) and are usually more severe than the typical sneezing and stuffiness of a cold.

Symptoms of the flu may include:

Infants with the flu may simply seem sick all of a sudden or "just don't look right."

How Long Does the Flu Last?
After 5 days, fever and other symptoms have usually disappeared, but a cough and weakness may continue. All symptoms are usually gone within a week or two. However, it's important to treat the flu seriously, because it can lead to pneumonia and other life-threatening complications, particularly in infants, senior citizens, and people with long-term health problems.

Is the Flu Contagious?
Spread by virus-infected droplets that are coughed or sneezed into the air, the flu is contagious. People infected with the flu are contagious as long as they show symptoms (most of the time that means about a week for adults, but for children it can mean up to 2 weeks).

The flu usually occurs in small outbreaks, but epidemics tend to occur every few years. Epidemics (when the illness spreads rapidly and affects many people in an area at the same time) peak within 2 or 3 weeks after the first cases occur and then begin to decrease.

What About the Flu Vaccine?
Usually offered between September and mid-November (although it may be given at other times of the year), the flu vaccine reduces the average person's chances of catching the flu by up to 80% during the season. But because the flu vaccine prevents infection with only a few of the viruses that can cause flu-like symptoms, getting the vaccine isn't a guarantee that you and your family won't get sick during the flu season. But even if someone who's gotten the shot gets the flu, symptoms will usually be fewer and milder.

Given as one injection in the upper arm, the flu shot contains killed flu viruses that will not cause your child to get the flu, but will cause your child's body to fight off infection by the live flu virus. Getting a shot of the killed virus causes a person to become protected against that particular type of live flu virus if he or she comes into contact with it.

Even if you or your child may have gotten the vaccine last year, that won't protect you from getting the flu this year, because the protection wears off and flu viruses constantly change. That's why the vaccine is updated each year to include the most current strains of the virus.

For children under 9 who are getting a flu shot for the first time, it's given in two separate shots 1 month apart. It can take up to 1 or 2 weeks after the shot for the body to build up protection to the flu.

Getting the shot before the flu season is in full-force gives the body a chance to build up immunity to, or protection from, the virus. Although you can get a flu shot well into flu season, it's best to try to get it earlier rather than later, if your child's doctor thinks it's necessary.

However, not everyone needs a flu vaccine. In times when the vaccine is in short supply, certain people need it more than others. You and your child's and family's doctor should determine who in your family should get the flu vaccine in a particular flu season.

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that these groups, who are at increased risk of flu-related complications, be given the flu shot:

  • children 6 to 23 months old
  • anyone 65 and up
  • women who will be pregnant during the flu season
  • anyone who lives or works with infants under 6 months old
  • residents of long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes
  • any adult or child with chronic medical conditions, such as asthma
  • health-care personnel who have direct contact with patients
  • children - from 6 months to 18 years - on long-term aspirin therapy

People who should not get the flu shot include:

  • infants under 6 months old
  • anyone who's severely allergic to eggs and egg products - because the ingredients for flu shots are actually grown inside eggs. If your child is allergic to eggs or egg products, let your child's doctor know before he or she gets a flu shot.
  • anyone who's ever had a severe reaction to a flu vaccination
  • anyone who has Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare medical condition that affects the immune system and nerves
  • anyone who's sick with a fever

Another non-shot option called the nasal mist vaccine came on the market in 2003 and is now approved for use in 5- to 49-year-olds. But this nasal mist isn't for everyone, and can't be used on high-risk children and adults. Also, because the nasal spray flu vaccine is made from live viruses, it may cause mild flu-like symptoms, including runny nose, headache, vomiting, muscle aches, and fever. Check with your child's doctor to see if your child can - or should - get this type of flu vaccine.


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Influenza (Flu)
Are There Other Ways to Prevent the Flu From Spreading?, How Do You Treat the Flu?, and When Should I Call My Child's Doctor?


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