Stages of Flu Recovery: Flu Recovery Timeline

The Flu Explained

The flu is a viral infection that can infect your nose, throat, and lungs.¹ It’s contagious and can easily spread from person to person. In most cases, the flu isn’t a reason for serious concern. That being said, it’s important to be careful and take preventive measures to protect yourself from the virus—especially during cold and flu season. Start by getting the flu vaccine to help reduce your risk of catching the flu.² Another easy move: wash your hands often. Using soap and hot water is a simple, affordable way to prevent the spreading of the flu virus.

What Are Some Common Flu Symptoms?

Even if you’ve had the flu before, it’s not always easy to identify flu symptoms. Flu and cold can present themselves in similar ways. With both cold and flu, you may experience cough, stuffy nose, and sore throat.³ However, cold symptoms are usually milder than flu symptoms and come with a more gradual onset. ³ In addition, fever usually accompanies the flu virus, while fever is rare with colds.³

Here are some other symptoms of the flu:

• Chills
• Sore throat
• Nasal or sinus congestion
• Muscle Body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue⁴

Flu Recovery Timeline

In general, flu symptoms appear from one to four days after virus exposure and last around five to seven days.⁵ Symptom duration may vary depending on the person. Here is a general overview to the stages of flu recovery:⁶

• Day 0: The virus is contracted. No symptoms have exhibited themselves yet. You may or may not be contagious at this point.
• Days 1-4: Flu symptoms begin to show. As mentioned above, the onset of these flu symptoms is less gradual than that of a cold. Be on the lookout for fever, fatigue, chills, and other symptoms of flu. You are most contagious at this point in the timeline.⁷
• Days 5-7: Flu symptoms begin to decrease. Although you’re feeling better, you may still experience tiredness.
• Day 8 and Beyond: Symptoms are gone or continuing to improve. You may still continue to feel fatigued for a few weeks after.

Keep in mind that this flu recovery timeline is only a rough guide to flu symptoms. Every person will experience symptoms differently. However, if you’re noticing strong, persistent flu symptoms that last beyond a week, you should consult your doctor for medical advice.

Flu Recovery Tips

Recovery can feel as if it’s taking a long time, but try to be patient. In the meantime, here are some tips to help you through the various stages of flu recovery:

• Stay hydrated.
• Get sufficient rest.
• Eat a healthy diet.
• Wash your hands often.
• Use a humidifier.
• Take a steamy shower.
• Elevate your head at night to help you rest.
• Take an OTC medication to help with symptoms.
• Stay home until you’re better.⁸

Now that you’re familiar with the different stages of the flu recovery, you can feel confident about taking the steps you need to support your recovery. Remember that prevention is the most effective tool to fight the flu—get your flu shot to reduce your risk of catching the flu in the first place.

Get well soon!

• References

  1. Influenza (flu) – Symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/symptoms-causes/syc-20351719

  Accessed 7/1/2020.

  2. Vaccine Effectiveness: How Well Do the Flu Vaccines Work? CDC.

  https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/vaccineeffect.htm

   Accessed 7/1/2020.

  3. Cold Versus Flu. CDC.

  https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/coldflu.htm

  Accessed 7/1/2020.

  4. Flu Symptoms & Complications. CDC.

  https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/symptoms.htm

  Accessed 7/1/2020.

  5. How long does the flu last? Harvard Health.

  https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-long-does-the-flu-last

  Accessed 7/1/2020.

  6.  Flu (influenza). Better Health Channel. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/flu-influenza

  Accessed 7/1/2020.

  7. How Flu Spreads. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/spread.htm

   Accessed 7/1/2020.

  8. Influenza (flu) – Diagnosis & treatment. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351725

  Accessed 8/3/2020.

Recommended Articles

Influenza (Flu) > Fact Sheets > Yale Medicine

Overview

Not every virus gets its own “season,” but influenza—commonly known as the flu—is known to make its rounds each winter (and often in the fall and spring, too).

The flu is a contagious viral infection that attacks the respiratory system (throat, nose, and lungs). The degree of illness can range from mild to severe and can include fever, body aches, cough, headache, and sore throat.

Typically, the virus resolves on its own, but in extreme cases, or especially for the very vulnerable, including infants, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems, it can lead to hospitalization—and even death.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the best way to protect yourself or your family from getting the flu virus is with an annual flu vaccine.

“Prevention is key,” says Annette Cameron, MD, a Yale Medicine pediatrician. “Get your flu shot. Even if the vaccine isn’t always the perfect match that year, it might at least reduce the severity of the flu if you get it.”

What are the symptoms of the flu?

Common symptoms of the flu may include the following:

• Fever of 100. 4 F or higher
• Aching muscles, especially in your back, arms, and legs
• Chills and sweats
• Headache
• Cough
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Sore throat
• Fatigue and weakness

At first, it may be hard to distinguish between a common cold and the flu. But one difference is that colds tend to come on somewhat gradually, whereas the flu usually develops more suddenly.

“Basically, you are sicker with the flu compared to a standard upper-respiratory infection. It’s like a cold on steroids,” says Dr. Cameron. “Your fever is higher. Your symptoms last longer. You are miserable and achy.”

Flu symptoms are also similar to those caused by COVID-19. Testing is necessary to know whether you have flu or COVID-19 (or another respiratory illness altogether).

In rare cases, patients with flu might not have any symptoms at all, so one should not self-diagnose their illness based on symptoms alone.

Who is at risk for the flu?

The flu can affect everyone. But the following people are at a higher risk of developing serious complications related to the flu:

• People 65 and older
• People of any age with chronic conditions (asthma, diabetes, heart disease)
• Pregnant women
• Children younger than age 5 and especially younger than age

What are possible complications of the flu?

For the young and healthy, the flu may be unpleasant, but it isn’t typically life-threatening. Most people recover within a week or two. However, there can be serious complications for children and adults:

• Pneumonia or bronchitis.
  The flu virus can cause damage to your body’s defense system (including the membranes that line your airways and the cilia, which are tiny hairs that help keep the respiratory tract free of mucus). This damage makes patients more susceptible to other bacteria.
• Asthma
  flare-ups. Inflammation of the respiratory tract can cause irritation, which can lead to bronchospasms (a sudden constriction in the airways) and cause symptoms of asthma to worsen.
• An increase in the short–term risk of heart attack. It’s unclear why flu sometimes leads to heart attack, but doctors suspect that it has to do with the physiologic stress on the body from fighting the flu.

How does the flu spread?

When someone infected with the flu virus sneezes, coughs, or talks, they release droplets containing the virus into the air. You can unknowingly inhale those droplets or come into contact with them by touching an object such as a doorknob, counter, or telephone and then touching your nose, eyes, or mouth. Once the virus enters your body, it moves into the respiratory tract and latches onto and enters your cells. Once a virus gets inside a cell, it uses the cell’s own machinery to make many copies of itself. These copies make their way out of the cell and then infect other cells. In this process, many cells die. Over the course of several days, the immune system fights off the virus, eliminating it from your body. (After your body successfully fights the virus, those cells will grow back.)

People infected by the virus are contagious starting a day before symptoms begin and until five to seven days after the onset of symptoms. People are most contagious during the first three to four days after symptoms first appear. Because it’s hard to know for sure if and for how long you’re contagious, it’s difficult to prevent the flu’s transmission to others, especially among families.

What’s even more problematic is that new strains of the virus appear often. This means that even if you’ve had the flu that season or received the flu vaccine, you can still get the flu if the antibodies your body has developed are for a different strain of the virus.

How is the flu diagnosed?

Often, your doctor will diagnose the flu based on your symptoms. There are also a number of tests that can detect the virus by examining specimens taken by swabbing the inside of your nose.

The most commonly used are the rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs). They can provide results within 10 to 15 minutes, but they can miss certain cases of flu. They do, however, appear to be more accurate at diagnosing flu in children compared to adults.

How is the flu treated?

Typically, plenty of rest and drinking a lot of fluids—because a fever causes the body to lose more fluid than usual and can lead to dehydration—is all you need to do if you get the flu. Often, over-the-counter pain medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin) are all adults or children need to reduce fever or body aches. Parents are sometimes afraid to give their kids too much medicine—a concern Dr. Cameron understands.

“However, they often base the dose on their child’s age instead of their weight, and a lot of times kids weigh more than the typical dosing for their age. I tell parents to base it on weight, because otherwise, they won’t get enough and they won’t feel better,” she says. “But if they’re unsure, they should call their physician, and ask them to calculate the actual dose.”

Sometimes, your doctor may prescribe an antiviral medication like Tamiflu (oseltamivir). If taken within 48 hours of when flu symptoms begin, the medication may shorten the course of illness by about a day and help prevent serious complications.

“We do give Tamiflu when we catch the flu early, but I tend to reserve it for kids who have other chronic illnesses, especially asthma, and for younger babies,” Dr. Cameron says. “For older kids who don’t have a chronic illness, or if they have had symptoms for longer than two days, I don’t bother because it comes with its own side effects and can cause upset stomach and vomiting.”

Doctors may prescribe other antivirals to treat the flu, including Relenza (zanamivir), Rapivab (peramivir), and Xofluza (baloxavir). These medications work by interfering with the virus’s ability to infect cells in the body.

Antiviral medications work best when they are taken within two days of the onset of symptoms, but they may be given outside of that timeframe for those who are hospitalized, have severe flu, or have an increased risk for complications.

Antivirals may also be an option for people who do not have severe illness and those who are low risk for complications provided the medications can be started within two days of symptom onset.

How can the flu be prevented?

The CDC recommends annual flu vaccinations for everyone over the age of 6 months, including pregnant women.

Each year, the vaccine contains protection from the three or four influenza viruses anticipated to be the most common during that year’s flu season. Researchers do their best to guess which virus strains will be circulating in the community by looking at other parts of the world (such as Australia) where the flu season has already occurred and matching the vaccine to combat those types.

However, because vaccine production takes time, the vaccines have to be produced well in advance of the actual flu season. This makes it difficult to match the virus with the vaccine perfectly every time, says Matthew Grant, MD, a specialist in infectious disease at Yale Medicine.

“Still, there really is no downside to getting the flu vaccine,” points out Erin Nozetz, MD, a Yale Medicine pediatrician. “You may have a sore arm and experience some body aches or low-grade fever, but that is a good thing because it means your immune system is responding to the vaccine. And we wouldn’t expect those symptoms to last more than a few days.”

Carl Baum, MD, a Yale Medicine pediatric emergency physician, agrees, and adds that some people falsely believe getting the vaccine actually causes the flu.

“It’s true that some people may have a mild reaction, like a fever, after getting the vaccine. But it usually happens within the first 24 hours of vaccination and then goes away,” he says. “What it means is that your body is reacting and doing what it is supposed to. People mistake the body’s natural response to the vaccine with actually getting the flu.”

That’s why physicians advise adults and children not to get the flu vaccine if they already have an upper-respiratory infection or otherwise don’t feel well. “If you get the flu vaccine while you’re sick, you might have an increase in your symptoms, and then everything gets blamed on the vaccine. The truth is you already had the infection, but the vaccine might temporarily make it a little worse,” he says.

Measures to decrease the possibility of spreading the flu include the following:

• Wash hands. Use soap and water and scrub for at least 20 seconds. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are another option when washing your hands is not possible.
• Cover your mouth.
  To prevent the spread of droplets, cough, or sneeze into the crook of your arm or a tissue.
• Be mindful of crowds. Flu spreads quickly in busy places, including schools, offices, child-care centers, and on public transportation. If you’re sick, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever abates in order to limit infecting others.

When should you and your family get the flu shot?

It’s hard to provide a definitive time frame, says Albert Shaw, MD, PhD, an infectious diseases doctor at Yale Medicine. “The CDC recommends getting it by the end of October and the thinking is that after you get vaccinated it can take a few weeks for your body to generate the antibodies,” he says.

The other thing to take into consideration is how common the flu is in your community at the time, even though this can be difficult to predict. But there is one thing Dr. Shaw is sure of: It’s never too late for the vaccine to be effective. “The flu continues well into the spring,” he says.

What stands out about Yale Medicine’s approach to the flu?

Yale Medicine doctors are internationally recognized for their experience in treating viral and bacterial infectious diseases. We work with physicians from multiple departments to offer comprehensive care for patients. In addition, our clinicians are investigating the biological reasons why the flu vaccine might be more effective for some ages as opposed to others.

How to quickly recover from a cold?

Almost every person has a cold, regardless of the season, but it is most difficult to avoid this disease during the cold season. This, of course, is influenced by the weather, which cannot be changed in any way, but at the same time it is quite possible to learn how to quickly deal with a cold. In this article we will tell you how to recover from a cold and what are the ways to recover quickly.

Cold symptoms in adults

The symptoms of a cold usually appear one to three days after exposure to the virus that causes the common cold. Signs and symptoms of a cold in adults, which may vary from person to person, include:

• runny or stuffy nose;
• sore throat;
• cough;
• sneezing;
• tearing eyes;
• fever;
• pressure in ears and face;
• loss of taste and smell;
• feeling unwell in general.

Nasal discharge may be clear at first and then become thicker and yellow or green as the common cold wears off. This usually does not mean that you have a bacterial infection. Similar symptoms can appear with COVID-19. Therefore, it is important to know how to distinguish COVID-19 from SARS.

Cold treatment

How to cure a cold? The common cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract. There is no specific cure for the common cold. Most colds go away without treatment, usually within a week to 10 days. However, to speed up recovery, you can and should treat the symptoms of the infection. Treatment for a cold usually falls into these main categories: over-the-counter medications, home remedies, and folk remedies.

Medications

The most common over-the-counter cold medicines are:

• Decongestants. Vasoconstrictor drugs that help relieve nasal congestion.
• Antihistamines. Allergy medications that help prevent sneezing and also relieve the symptoms of a runny nose.
• Painkillers. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory cold medicines such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin can relieve body aches, inflammation, and fever symptoms.

Medicines for the treatment of SARS sometimes include a combination of these drugs. Before taking them, be sure to read the instructions and consult with your doctor.

Treating a cold at home

There are quick ways to treat a cold at home, among which the seven most effective ones stand out:

1. Complete rest. It is necessary to sleep at least eight hours a day, which will help the body recover faster, activate internal reserves and work more actively with the immune system, which will help get rid of a cold.
2. Proper nutrition. You should give preference to healthy food, because in order to recover faster, the body needs a balanced diet. Preference should be given to vegetables and fruits. In addition, it is desirable to eat often and in small portions.
3. Smoking cessation. The cold period prolongs smoking, because tobacco irritates the respiratory system, thereby increasing the risk of lung infections. Therefore, at least for the duration of the disease, you need to stop smoking.
4. Large amount of fluid. If you have a cold, drink plenty of fluids (water or herbal tea) as much as possible, which can help reduce sore throats, prevent dehydration, reduce the risk of ear and lung infections, and help reduce nasal mucus.
5. Saline solutions. When treating a cold at home, gargling with salt water helps to reduce body temperature and sore throat, which is easy to prepare: you need to dilute half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water. Rinsing is recommended every two hours. Salt nasal sprays can also help relieve nasal congestion (this solution prevents tissue damage and also clears the sinuses).
6. Air humidification. Using a humidifier can help relieve sinus irritation. And in order not to inhale bacteria and fungi, before using the humidifier, it must be cleaned.
7. Warm baths. A warm bath can relieve mild pain associated with a cold.

Home remedies for a cold

Home remedies for a cold won’t clear the infection right away, but some can help relieve and manage your symptoms.

Some of the most effective and common home remedies for colds include:

• Vitamin C. Taking vitamin C before and after the onset of cold symptoms can shorten their duration. Taking vitamin C may be helpful for people at high risk of contracting colds to boost their immune system.
• Echinacea. Echinacea may also be effective in shortening the duration of a cold.
• Zinc. Zinc lozenges or syrup shorten the duration of a cold by about one day, especially if taken within 24 to 48 hours of the first signs and symptoms of a cold.

Before using any of the above, we recommend that you consult your doctor to avoid unpleasant side effects.

How and how to treat a cold in a child?

How to treat a cold in a child? A cold in a child should not be self-treated, especially since over-the-counter medicines for treating cough and cold symptoms in children can cause serious and potentially life-threatening side effects. Be sure to consult a doctor so that he prescribes the correct treatment for a cold in a child. If the symptoms are mild, you can use the home remedies we have listed above.

How and how to treat a cold during pregnancy?

How to treat a cold in pregnancy? Ideally, you should avoid taking medication during pregnancy, especially during the first 3 months. How to treat a cold during pregnancy? Conditions such as a cold or minor aches often do not require medication, home remedies will suffice. However, if you are pregnant and feel you need to take medication, you should check with your doctor.

Prevention of the common cold

There is no vaccine for the common cold, but you can take reasonable precautions to slow the spread of cold viruses.

Basic cold prevention methods include:

1. Wash your hands thoroughly and often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Teach your children the importance of handwashing. Do not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
2. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. Doorknobs, light switches, electronics, kitchen and bathroom countertops. This is especially important when someone in your family has a cold. Wash children’s toys periodically.
3. Cover your mouth when sneezing and coughing. Sneeze and cough while covering your mouth with a tissue. Discard used tissues immediately afterwards and wash your hands thoroughly. If you don’t have a tissue, sneeze or cough into your elbow, then wash your hands.
4. Do not share drinking glasses or eating utensils with other family members. Use your own glass or disposable cups when you or someone else is sick.
5. Avoid close contact with those who have a cold. Stay away from the crowd whenever possible. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
6. Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Eating right, exercising, and getting enough sleep are good for overall health.

Help Doc.ua: You can make an appointment with a therapist, as well as find all the necessary drugs on the website.

Influenza: treatment and prevention | “Clinical TB dispensary”

What is influenza and what is its danger?

Influenza – is an infectious disease that can affect anyone. The causative agent of influenza is a virus that from infected people enters the nasopharynx of others.

Most people get the flu for only a few days, but some get more severe, possibly severe, even fatal. Influenza exacerbates existing chronic diseases, in addition, the flu has an extensive list of possible complications:

• pulmonary complications (pneumonia, bronchitis). Pneumonia is the cause of most influenza deaths.
• complications from the upper respiratory tract and ENT organs (otitis media, sinusitis, rhinitis, tracheitis).
• complications from the cardiovascular system (myocarditis, pericarditis).
• complications from the nervous system (meningitis, meningoencephalitis, encephalitis, neuralgia, polyradiculoneuritis).

To avoid possible complications, it is important to prevent influenza in time and treat the disease itself correctly.

Influenza usually starts suddenly. The causative agents of influenza, viruses of types A and B, are characterized by aggressiveness and an exceptionally high reproduction rate, therefore, within a few hours after infection, the virus leads to deep lesions of the respiratory mucosa, opening up opportunities for bacteria to penetrate into it. Flu symptoms include fever, temperature 37.5–39°C, headache, muscle and joint pain, chills, fatigue, cough, runny or stuffy nose, pain and sore throat. Influenza can be confused with other diseases, so a doctor must make a clear diagnosis, he also prescribes treatment tactics.

What should I do if I have the flu?

The patient himself, at the first symptoms, should stay at home, so as not only not to infect others, but also to start treatment in time, for which it is necessary to immediately consult a doctor. To prevent further spread of the infection, the sick person must be isolated from healthy people, it is advisable to allocate a separate room.

Important!

Parents! In no case do not send sick children to kindergarten, school, cultural events. With influenza, it is extremely important to observe bed rest, since the disease increases the load on the cardiovascular, immune and other body systems.

Self-medication for influenza is unacceptable, and it is the doctor who must diagnose and prescribe the necessary treatment, appropriate to the condition and age of the patient.

For proper treatment, it is necessary to strictly follow all the recommendations of the attending physician and take medicines in a timely manner. In addition, it is recommended to drink plenty of water – it can be hot tea, cranberry or lingonberry juice, alkaline mineral water. You need to drink more often and as much as possible.

At a temperature of 38-39°C, call the local doctor at home or an ambulance team.

When coughing and sneezing, the patient should cover their mouth and nose with a handkerchief or tissue.

The room where the patient is located should be regularly ventilated and wet cleaned as often as possible, preferably using disinfectants that act on viruses.

Contact with a sick person should be limited, and when caring for him, use a medical mask or gauze bandage.

How can you protect yourself from the flu?

According to the position of the World Health Organization, the most effective remedy against influenza is vaccination, because it is the vaccine that provides protection against those types of influenza virus that are the most relevant in this epidemiological season and are part of it.

The introduction of a vaccine into the body cannot cause disease, but by producing protective antibodies it stimulates the immune system to fight infection. The effectiveness of the flu vaccine is incomparably higher than all non-specific medications that can be taken during the winter months, such as immunomodulators, vitamins, homeopathic remedies, traditional medicine, and so on.

Vaccination is recommended for all population groups, but is especially indicated for children from 6 months old, people suffering from chronic diseases, pregnant women, and people at occupational risk groups – medical workers, teachers, students, workers in the service sector and transport.

Vaccination should be carried out 2-3 weeks before the onset of an increase in the incidence, vaccination can only be done in a medical institution by specially trained medical personnel, and a doctor’s examination is mandatory before vaccination.

There are few contraindications to influenza vaccination. Influenza vaccination should not be done in acute febrile conditions, during an exacerbation of chronic diseases, with an increased sensitivity of the body to egg white (if it is part of the vaccine).

Having been vaccinated against influenza, you protect your body from the attack of the most dangerous viruses – influenza viruses, but there are still more than 200 types of viruses that are less dangerous for humans, but can also cause ARVI. Therefore, during the period of the epidemic rise in the incidence of acute respiratory viral infections and influenza, it is recommended to take non-specific preventive measures.

Flu Prevention Rules:

• Get your flu shot before flu season starts.
• Reduce your time in crowded places and public transport.
• Wear a mask in crowded places.
• Avoid close contact with people who show signs of illness, such as sneezing or coughing.
• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water regularly, especially after street and public transport.
• Flush the nasal cavity, especially after the street and public transport
• Ventilate the room you are in regularly.
• Regularly wet clean the room you are in.
• Humidify the air in the room you are in.
• Eat as many foods containing vitamin C as possible (cranberries, lingonberries, lemon, etc.).
• Eat as many meals as possible with garlic and onions.