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Everyday Health
Can You Get the Flu in Summer?
By By Paula Derrow. Medically Reviewed by Michelle Seguin, MD,
2 days ago
Feeling flu-y? The only way to know for sure is to get tested.
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During the height of summer, it doesn't seem right (or fair) to come down with what may seem like the typical signs of flu : any combination of chills, cough, fever, a runny nose, fatigue, a sore throat, and even gastrointestinal issues among other troublesome symptoms.
But can you really get the influenza virus in summer in the United States - or could you have a different kind of illness, like COVID-19? Here experts share insights.
You Can Get the Flu in Hot Weather, but It's Uncommon
If you live in the United States or elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere, it's unlikely you'll be struck down by flu in summer.
"One of the great things about influenza is that it tends to be seasonal and predictable, surging in fall and winter in the United States," says Geeta Sood, MD , an infectious disease physician and assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Maryland.
Why isn't there more flu in summer? "It's probably a combination of both human behavior [people tend to congregate outdoors in warmer weather, where flu spreads less easily] and the nature and characteristics of the virus itself during different seasons," says Dr. Sood.
Another possibility: "It could also be that many of us have already been exposed to flu during the fall and winter, so we have antibodies left over from the recent season - or from the flu vaccine," says Sharon Nachman, MD , chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children's Hospital in New York.
That doesn't mean influenza completely disappears in the summer. "The flu doesn't take a vacation," says Dr. Nachman. People can and do get sick with the flu year-round.
For instance, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that during the week ending August 3, 2024, only about 0.6 percent of flu tests came back positive. In contrast, during a random week in January 2024, roughly 14 percent of people tested for the flu actually had it.
Symptoms of Summer Flu
If you do wind up getting the flu in summer, symptoms tend to be milder than in winter.
"Someone with the flu may be slightly more likely to have muscle aches and less likely to have a runny nose than someone who has rhinovirus [a cause of the common cold]," says Sood. "But the symptoms are not reliably different enough to be able to tell without a test."
"In general, respiratory viruses tend to look and act the same way, whether you're talking about flu, RSV , COVID-19 , enteroviruses, or rhinoviruses," says Nachman. Nasal allergies can also mimic symptoms of viral infection.
"These things all tend to produce the same sneezy, cough-y symptoms, which means you usually can't tell what a patient has just by looking at or listening to them," says Nachman.
"The only way to tell for sure whether someone has the flu is to give them a flu test," she adds.
How to Know for Sure if You Have Flu
Retail pharmacies, urgent care centers, doctor's offices, and community clinics can administer a flu test (possibly combined with a COVID-19 test) if you are showing symptoms. For at-home use, the LUCIRA by Pfizer home test and Pixel by Labcorp home collection kit use nasal swabs to determine if you have flu, COVID-19, or (with Pixel) RSV.
Don't dally in taking action. "Especially for older adults and people with multiple medical problems or those who are immunocompromised, it makes sense to find out what you have so you can get treatment with antivirals, ideally within 48 to 72 hours of first experiencing symptoms," says Sood.
Treatment for Summer Flu and When to See a Doctor
As with COVID-19, whether or not to get medical treatment for flu depends on your age, general health, and any underlying health issues you might have.
"If you're young and healthy, you may not want to opt for an antiviral like Tamiflu , since it can cause gastrointestinal side effects," says Nachman. On the other hand, "If you're an 80-year-old with chronic lung disease, it might make sense to take an antiviral within the first 48 to 72 hours."
The flu can cause serious and even life-threatening complications that warrant a trip to the doctor. Nachman recommends seeing a healthcare provider if you're wheezing, can't keep fluids down, have difficulty walking up stairs because you can't catch your breath, or have a fever.
"Most adults don't get fever very often compared with children," says Nachman. "So when an adult has a fever, even just 99, that may not tell me that they have the flu - but it does tell me that they're sick."
How Long Does Summer Flu Last?
No matter the season, most people who get the flu and are not at higher risk of complications tend to start feeling better in anywhere from two or three days to two weeks, according to the CDC.
In addition to prescription medication (if needed), you can also manage summer flu symptoms with the following measures:
Stay hydrated. The best treatment for any respiratory infection, flu or not, is to "aggressively hydrate," says Nachman. (Chicken soup counts, even in August!)
Get plenty of rest.
Take long, steamy showers, and breathe deeply to ease chest congestion and cough.
Try a little honey. "We do have evidence that honey can help reduce symptoms of a cough," says Sood.
Use over-the-counter drugs such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen to combat muscle aches, sore throat, and headache.
What experts don't recommend are antibiotics - these aren't effective against viral infections like flu, only bacterial infections.
How to Prevent Summer Flu
The best way to avoid flu and other respiratory infections that can happen any time of year is to take precautions that have become commonplace during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We know this by now, but I still remind people that it's important to wash your hands well and frequently; to socialize or work in well-ventilated spaces; and, if you are in a crowded environment, consider wearing a mask. Masks don't just help prevent COVID-19, they can also help prevent infection with influenza," says Sood.
And when summer's over? Get your annual flu shot when it becomes available in the fall. It's the best way to reduce the threat of flu year-round.
The Takeaway
Yes, you can get the flu in the summer, though it's less common than in the fall and winter. If you feel sick with flu-like symptoms, getting tested will help you figure out the cause, especially since symptoms may overlap with other respiratory illnesses. Remember to stay hydrated and get plenty of rest to support your recovery if you do catch the flu.
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy . We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Michelle Seguin, MD, is a board-certified family medicine and lifestyle medicine physician and educator. She is a practicing physician at Parsley Health, the nation's largest holistic medical practice for women and families. Dr. Seguin received her medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and completed her residency at the Marquette Family Medicine Residency Program. After residency, she practiced rural family medicine for five years and implemented a produce prescription program in Upper Michigan, which sparked her passion for lifestyle and functional medicine. She led various community nutrition and food access programs in her role as director of community health at the Portage Health Foundation in Hancock, Michigan, from 2019 to 2022. As a former Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia, Seguin co-developed and co-taught a virtual "Food is Medicine" elective for fourth year medical students. See full bio
Paula Derrow
Author
Paula Derrow is a writer and editor in New York City who specializes in health, psychology, sexuality, relationships, and the personal essay. She was the articles director at Self magazine for 12 years, and has worked at many other national magazines, including Glamour , Harper's Bazaar, and American Health . Her writing has been featured in The New York Times Ties column, its Modern Love column, Refinery29, Real Simple , Tablet , Cosmo , Good Housekeeping , Woman's Day , and more.
Derrow also covers health for New York Presbyterian/Weill-Cornell Hospital in New York City. She has ghost edited a number of health books and health-related memoirs. She is the editor of the Publisher's Weekly-starred anthology Behind the Bedroom Door: Getting It, Giving It, Loving It, Missing It .
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