Seasonal Influenza (Flu)
Protect yourself and those around you during flu season and get your flu vaccine. Doctors recommend that everyone ages 6 months and older get their annual flu vaccine. It’s available at your local pharmacy, grocery store, doctor, or health center. Plus, you can often get it at little to no cost. Get your flu shot early to build up immunity before the virus becomes widespread in late fall and winter.
About the Flu
The flu is a contagious respiratory virus that can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Some people are at high risk for serious flu complications, including:
- older people
- young children
- people with certain health conditions
- people with compromised immune systems
From October through May, NCDHHS’ Division of Public Health provides weekly updates on the spread of respiratory diseases, including influenza, in North Carolina.
Get Vaccinated
The first and most important step to protect yourself and your family from the flu is to get a flu vaccine each year. You can get your flu and updated COVID-19 vaccines at the same time, if you’d like.
Seasonal flu vaccines are safe and effective. During the 2019-2020 flu season, flu vaccines prevented an estimated 7.5 million illnesses, 105,000 hospitalizations, and 63,000 deaths across the country.
Contact your health care provider or visit vaccinefinder.org to find a convenient place to get a flu vaccine near you.
Symptoms
Flu symptoms can include:
- Fever or feeling feverish/chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue (tiredness)
- Sore throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Muscle pain or body aches
- Headache
Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea. This is more common in children than adults.
Since flu and COVID-19 have similar symptoms, it may be hard to tell which virus you have. Testing can help confirm a diagnosis.
Learn more about the difference between the flu and COVID-19 from the CDC.
What We Do
The Division of Public Health, part of the NC Department of Health and Human Services, works to promote and contribute to the highest possible level of health for the people of North Carolina.
Our entire statewide system of public health has dedicated professionals who carry out our mission every day through a wide range of essential programs and activities touching the lives of everyone in our state.
Disease prevention, health services and health promotion programs protect entire communities – not just individuals – from untoward outcomes such as communicable diseases, epidemics, and contaminated food and water. We work daily to reduce the impact of chronic and oral diseases.
Last Modified: September 18, 2024