Ask a GW Expert: What Should I Know about This Year’s Flu Season

As temperatures drop and the holidays approach, flu season is once again underway. And we're approaching peak activity, professor Asefeh Covelli explained.

Flu season in the United States typically runs from October through May with peak times occurring in the winter months.

"Flu cases start to rise in November, along with RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and enteroviruses," Covelli said. "Peak season tends to be December through February, and we are probably going to see a similar flu season this year that we've seen in years past."

Unlike the common cold, the flu can present with more severe symptoms and often causes high fever, chills, body aches and fatigue. "The flu really does affect the body much more severely than an upper respiratory infection or the common cold," Covelli said.

Hospitalizations are most common among people who are immunocompromised, older adults or those with pre-existing health conditions.

"The flu is something to be taken quite seriously and can have really serious health repercussions," Covelli said.

Getting your flu shot each year is one of the best ways to stay protected against serious flu symptoms. Covelli said everyone six months and older is recommended to get vaccinated and the sooner in the season, the better. The flu shot becomes effective about two weeks after vaccination.

"So if somebody is fully vaccinated against the flu, their immune system is going to be ready and will be able to recognize and actually launch their immune response to a flu virus if and when they do encounter it," Covelli said.

The reason it's recommended to get vaccinated against the flu every year is because the virus changes. Flu vaccines are reformulated annually to match the strains expected to circulate that season.

"Even if you got one last year, the circulating strains tend to be slightly different every year, and that's how the new vaccine for that year is formulated," Covelli said.

To tell whether you have the flu, RSV or COVID-19, Covelli said testing is the best approach.

"We do have tests for all of these," Covelli said. "You can either go to your healthcare provider to get that test done, and a lot of these tests are now available in the pharmacy as well."

Covelli said practicing good hygiene habits are another key preventive measure. That includes frequent handwashing, using alcohol-based sanitizer, covering coughs and sneezes and staying home when sick.