What should you know about influenza treatment and prevention?

Influenza is a viral respiratory infection. Rest, fluids, and suitable symptom relief may help you cope with fever, chills, cough, headache, fatigue, and feeling generally unwell. A clinician may consider an antiviral medicine for some people, particularly when treatment is started early or complications are a concern. Antibiotics do not treat the influenza virus, although a clinician may prescribe them if a separate bacterial infection is diagnosed.

Prevention is most useful before exposure. Ask a healthcare professional whether seasonal vaccination is appropriate for you, especially if you are pregnant, older, immunocompromised, or living with a long-term condition. Hand hygiene and cleaner indoor air lower opportunities for respiratory spread.

If you are ill, rest, drink regularly, and use medicines only as directed on the label or by a clinician. Stay away from vulnerable people, ventilate shared rooms, cover coughs and sneezes, and wash your hands. Avoid taking several combination cold remedies together until a pharmacist checks their ingredients. Once you recover, keep preventive habits during periods of increased respiratory illness.

Contact a clinician promptly if symptoms are intense, worsening, or affecting a high-risk person. Get urgent help for breathing difficulty, chest pain, blue or grey lips, confusion, collapse, severe dehydration, or a marked deterioration after initial improvement. Pneumonia can develop as a complication and needs medical assessment.

Ask whether antiviral treatment is suitable, which symptom medicines are safe with your regular prescriptions, when vaccination should be given, and how to protect household members while you recover.