Flu occurs every year, usually in the winter, which is why it is sometimes called seasonal flu.
It is a very infectious disease that can come on very quickly.
The most common symptoms of flu are fever, chills, cough, headache, pains in your joints and muscles and extreme tiredness. Healthy people usually recover within 3 to 4 weeks, but some people can develop serious life-threatening complications and need to be admitted to hospital.
Flu symptoms come on very quickly; more about the symptoms of flu.
Colds are much less serious and usually start with a stuffy or a runny nose, sore throat and cough.
The flu vaccine
The flu vaccine’s the best available protection against the flu virus. It’s very safe, only takes a few minutes and will last around a year.
Flu’s more than a bad cold and can make people very unwell. It’s highly infectious with symptoms that come on quickly and can hit anyone. In the most serious cases, flu can bring on pneumonia, or other serious infections which can, in extreme cases, result in death.
The vaccine’s offered each winter flu season, which lasts from October to March.
Who should get the flu vaccine?
– People with a health condition
– People aged 65 years or over
– Pregnant women
– People that work in healthcare
– Unpaid carers and young carers
For information on the child flu vaccine, please visit the child flu page.