Influenza (flu)

Influenza is a highly contagious disease that affects people of all ages.

When someone with influenza talks, coughs, or sneezes, they release water droplets into the air. You can catch the flu by breathing in these droplets, or by touching them on hard surfaces like doorknobs, and then touching your mouth, eyes or nose.

Influenza spreads faster among large groups. Childcare centres, aged care and healthcare centres have infection rates 2-3 times higher than in the general community.

Notifiable disease

Influenza is a notifiable disease, which means that if you are diagnosed, your doctor, hospital or lab must inform the Department of Health. This helps to monitor influenza cases in the community and to inform protective actions, such as managing outbreaks in child care or aged care centres. Notifications are confidential.

Most healthy children and adults only have minor symptoms.

Typical symptoms in adults can include:

• sudden onset of fever or chills
• headache
• sore throat
• runny nose
• cough
• fatigue (tiredness)
• general aches and pains
• upset stomach
• nose, throat and lung congestion.

Most people recover from influenza within a few days. In some people with existing medical conditions, influenza may lead to more serious lung infections like pneumonia. These infections take much longer to recover from.

In most cases, someone with influenza will recover naturally within 2 to 7 days.

If you have mild symptoms and are not at increased risk of developing severe illness from influenza, you should stay at home and rest until you are well.

Recommended treatment for mild to moderate influenza

• Take paracetamol as per recommended dose to help reduce fever and head and muscle aches.
• Get plenty of rest.
• Drink plenty of water
• Eat healthy food.

Decongestants and other cold remedies will not help. Antibiotics do not treat influenza unless you have a secondary bacterial infection (which must be diagnosed by a doctor).

Antiviral medication can help to manage your illness but only if you are treated within 12 to 48 hours of showing symptoms. Influenza is not usually diagnosed within this period, so it is not commonly used (except in special circumstances).

While you have influenza

• Stay home from school or work and avoid contact with other people.
• Wash your hands often, especially after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose and before you prepare any food.
• Use disposable tissues and immediately throw used tissues in the bin.
• Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze.

Seasonal influenza can be a serious illness. Some people are more at risk of severe symptoms if they get influenza including:

• babies and young children
• pregnant people
• older people
• people with chronic medical conditions
• Aboriginal people.

Are you in one of the above groups?

If you develop influenza-like symptoms seek medical attention.

To protect yourself, you are strongly encouraged to get a seasonal influenza vaccine every year.

Get vaccinated for seasonal influenza

The best way to prevent catching influenza is to get an influenza vaccination every year. Influenza vaccination protects you, but it also can help protect those around you.

Everyone 6 months and older are encouraged to get the seasonal influenza vaccine.

Seasonal influenza vaccination protects people against influenza virus and its complications. Each year, a new vaccine containing the most common strains of influenza viruses is produced.

Some groups of people are at higher risk of becoming severely unwell from influenza and are strongly recommended to get immunised. You can get a free influenza vaccine if:

• you are aged 6 months to Year 6
• you are aged 65+
• you are pregnant
• you are Aboriginal
• you reside in congregate living or are experiencing housing instability
• you have medical conditions:
  • heart disease
  • kidney disease
  • chronic respiratory conditions
  • chronic illnesses that required regular medical attention or hospitalisation in the previous year
  • chronic neurological conditions
  • immunocompromising conditions
  • haematological disorders
  • diabetes and other metabolic disorders
  • children aged 6 months to 10 years receiving long-term aspirin therapy.

Find out more about seasonal influenza vaccine. 

Protect yourself against influenza

Follow these tips to help prevent spreading influenza.

• Cover coughs and sneezes with your inner elbow or use a tissue and throw it in the bin straight away.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water or use antibacterial hand sanitisers, especially after coughing or sneezing.
• Clean surfaces and objects regularly such as doorknobs, keyboards, phones and toys.
• Stay at home if you have influenza and limit your contact with other people.

Learn more about hand hygiene and protecting yourself from viruses such as influenza.

Beating the bugs, colds and viruses

Although influenza symptoms are similar to cold symptoms (especially in children), the influenza virus is more severe and lasts much longer than a cold.

Read more about the common cold.

Influenza and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different viruses.

COVID-19 and influenza have several differences, including different causes, complications and treatments. COVID-19 and influenza also spread differently, have different severity levels and a few different symptoms.

You cannot tell the difference between influenza and COVID-19 just by looking at the symptoms alone because they have some of the same symptoms. That’s why testing is needed to tell what the illness is and to confirm a diagnosis.

Can I catch both COVID-19 and influenza at the same time?

While it's quite rare, it's possible to become infected with both at the same time because influenza and COVID-19 are caused by different viruses.

As they both have similar symptoms, the only way to know for sure is to get tested.

Both COVID-19 and influenza can result in serious illness, hospitalisation and even death. If you get sick with both, it could increase your risk of having serious symptoms.

Research has shown (external site) that you are twice as likely to die if infected with both than with COVID-19 alone.

The best defence against influenza is to get an influenza vaccine every year. COVID-19 vaccination is also the best defence for COVID-19. Wearing a mask, washing hands frequently and social distancing can also help stop the spread of COVID-19 and influenza.

How do I know which virus I have?

RAT and COVID-19 PCRs only detect COVID-19 – they do not detect influenza as it is a different virus.

To find out if you have influenza you need to visit your GP or healthcare provider to get tested.