Influenza (also called the flu) is a viral illness that affects people year-round but is most common between October and May (the period known as flu season). This highly contagious disease can cause mild to very severe illness. 

During the current flu season, flu testing was positive in 28,883 people in Texas through March 1, 2025. Influenza pneumonia caused 4,847 deaths in the state during the same period. Since flu reporting is voluntary, this number is likely an underestimate. 

Influenza can make you very sick, requiring hospitalization and preventing you from working or attending school. It can also cause severe pneumonia in some people, leading to several thousand deaths annually. Flu testing is easily available and can diagnose this disease rapidly. Flu prevention methods are important to protect yourself and those around you, especially people at high risk for severe disease. 

How Does Flu Spread?

Influenza is a respiratory illness, and the virus lives and multiplies in the respiratory system. Infected individuals spread the flu by infected droplets when they talk, sneeze, or cough. These droplets can infect you if you breathe them. The droplets can settle on surfaces (tables, doorknobs, and others) and get on your hands; you can get infected by touching your nose or mouth. 

People with influenza have the virus in their breath passages from a day before the illness becomes apparent to five to seven days after becoming sick. These people are most infectious during the first three days of the illness. 

Influenza Symptoms

Influenza appears as abrupt fever with dry cough, muscle and joint pain, headache, feeling unwell, watery nose discharge, and a sore throat. The cough is often severe and lasts two or more weeks.

These symptoms are very similar to those of a cold, and it is difficult to tell them apart. A cold rarely leads to serious health problems, while the flu can cause pneumonia and bacterial infections and may lead to hospitalization. Flu testing is a dependable way to know if you have the flu.

Flu Complications

Most people who get the flu recover in a few days, but some develop complications. Some of these can be severe:

• Pneumonia
• Sinus infections
• Ear infections
• Inflammation of the heart (myocarditis)
• Inflammation of the brain (encephalitis)
• Multi-organ failure

Are You at High Risk?

Severe influenza can affect anyone, including young, otherwise healthy people. However, some people are at high risk for severe disease, complications, and hospitalizations: 

• Adults over 65 years
• Children less than five years old, especially those under two years
• Pregnant people
• People with medical diseases — chronic lung disease, cystic fibrosis, blood disorders, asthma, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disorders, liver disorders, and others
• People who are overweight or obese
• People with reduced immunity because of AIDS, cancer, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immune system-suppressing treatment, etc.
• People living in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities

Nine out of ten people hospitalized with flu have one or more underlying health conditions.  

Danger Signs

Severe and complicated influenza can affect anyone. If you have flu symptoms, watch for these danger signs:

• Difficulty breathing
• Pain or a feeling of pressure on the chest or belly
• Convulsions (fits)
• Not passing urine for a long time
• Severe muscle pain
• Dizziness, excessive sleepiness, confusion
• Unsteadiness and severe weakness
• Worsening of pre-existing medical conditions

If a person with influenza has any of these signs, they should seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Treatment of Influenza

Most people need only flu symptom relief — medicine for fever, body aches, and cough. However, people at risk for severe influenza should meet their physician early in the disease and start treatment with an antiviral drug as soon as possible. These drugs can shorten the duration of the flu if started early.

Flu Prevention — Vaccination

An annual flu shot is the most effective way to prevent the flu. The influenza virus changes frequently, and the protection by the vaccine does not last long. Getting a dose of the influenza vaccine every year before the start of the flu season will help keep you safe. Everyone over the age of six months should get the vaccine, but it is especially important for people at risk for severe influenza. 

The influenza vaccine is estimated to prevent about 7 million influenza illnesses, 3 million doctor visits, and 7,000 influenza deaths in the U.S. each year. The vaccine is valuable during pregnancy, as it protects both the at-risk pregnant person and the baby after birth. 

Several types of flu vaccines are approved for use in the U.S., and all of them are safe and effective. Your healthcare provider will be able to guide you about the right choice for you from the available options: 

• Standard dose vaccine
• Egg-free vaccine (for people with egg allergy)
• Thimerosal-free vaccine
• High-dose vaccine for older adults and people on immunosuppressive medicines
• Nasal spray vaccine 

The nasal spray vaccine is a live weakened virus vaccine, unlike all the others, which are inactivated virus or sub-unit vaccines.

Reducing Your Risk

Apart from vaccination, some measures help stop the spread of the flu, including:

• Stay home if you have influenza-like symptoms. Once the fever has subsided and you feel well, you can return to work or school.
• Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing to avoid infecting those around you. Wearing a mask is another effective measure. 
• Avoid close contact with sick people. Physical distance lessens the risk of disease spread.
• Wash your hands frequently. 
• Avoid touching your mouth, nose, and eyes.
• Practice good hygiene — clean frequently touched surfaces like countertops and doorknobs often. 
• Adopt healthy habits — eat a nutritious diet, get enough sleep, be physically active, and drink adequate fluids.

Influenza is often a mild, self-curing illness, but it does cause distressing symptoms, requires isolation and absence from work or school, and has the potential to become serious in anyone. Good hygiene, sensible flu prevention measures, and an annual flu shot can protect you and the people around you. 

Next Level Urgent Care offers high-quality, convenient medical care to Texas communities. Our 46 clinics, spread across Texas, are open every day from 9 AM – 9 PM. If you need cost-effective urgent care with short wait times, visit one of our nearby clinics.