How do I know if I have flu?

Your respiratory illness might be the flu if you have fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and/or fatigue. Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children. People may be sick with flu and have respiratory symptoms without a fever. Flu viruses usually cause the most illness during the colder months of the year. However, influenza can also occur outside of the typical flu season. In addition, other viruses can also cause respiratory illness similar to flu. So, it is impossible to tell for sure if you have flu based on symptoms alone. If your doctor needs to know for sure whether you are sick with flu, there are laboratory tests that can be done.

Show All Answers

1. How do I know if I have flu?
2. What kinds of flu test are there?
3. How well can rapid test detect flu?
4. Will my health care provider test me for flu if I have flu-like symptoms?
5. Can I have flu and COVID-19 at the same time?
6. Is there a test that can detect both flu and COVID-19?
7. Will the new test that detects both flu and COVID-19 replace other tests?