Your 2025 Flu Season Guide

Your Guide to the 2025 Flu Season

Ready or not, flu season is here. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is predicting a severe flu season in 2025, so if you haven’t yet, it’s still important that you and your loved ones get a flu shot.

At our AdventHealth Centra Care urgent care centers, we provide you and your family with whole-person, one-stop flu care from vaccinations to testing and treatment.

What Is the Flu? (And How It’s Different in 2025)

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a contagious virus that affects the body's respiratory system. There are three types of influenza virus, with most flu season illnesses caused by influenza A and B.

The influenza virus strain changes from year to year (which is why it's important to get a flu shot annually), and according to the CDC, the 2025 flu season is expected to have two dominant strains, potentially leading to a more severe season than usual.

Flu season typically begins in late fall and lasts through late spring.

Patient trends over the past two years show that flu season is lasting longer than usual, with a second spike of illnesses happening in February and March. With multiple strains of influenza and a longer flu season, it’s important to get your flu shot and wash your hands frequently, especially when you’re out and about.

Common Flu Symptoms in 2025

While flu symptoms can be different for everyone, some of the most common signs of the flu include:

• Body or muscle aches
• Chills
• Cough
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Headache
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea (most commonly seen in kids)
• Runny or stuffy nose

Early flu symptoms generally start to show between one to four days after being exposed to the virus.

When to Get Tested for the Flu

If you’re feeling body aches and chills, get a rapid flu test right away. Antiviral medications, such as Tamiflu®, need to be started within 48 hours of symptom onset for them to be most effective.

Flu vs Common Cold vs COVID-19

Because it shares similar symptoms with the common cold and COVID-19, it can sometimes be challenging to determine whether what you have is actually the flu. The main difference between the flu and a cold is that flu symptoms are typically more severe than those of a cold, and cold symptoms tend to begin gradually rather than appearing suddenly, as with the flu.

When comparing the flu to COVID-19, both illnesses can have moderate to severe symptoms, making it hard to determine which one you have. The best way to find out is to visit your closest AdventHealth Centra Care urgent care location for rapid testing for the flu and COVID-19.

When to See a Doctor or Visit Urgent Care for the Flu

If you’ve been exposed to someone with the flu, or if you're in a high-risk population for flu complications, then it's important to get your flu shot early and see the doctor for flu treatment at the first signs of symptoms.

If you already have the flu and it’s been more than 48 hours, antiviral medication won’t help. You can still visit an urgent care center for symptom relief or to ask any questions you may have.

Here are signs it’s time to go to an urgent care for the flu:

• A cough that doesn't improve within five days
• If symptoms improve, but return a few days later
• Signs of dehydration

Flu symptoms in children and infants present in slightly different ways. If your kids are experiencing any of the following issues, take them to your nearest AdventHealth Centra Care right away:

• Behavior changes, like severe tiredness or confusion
• Ear pain
• Fever over 102°F
• Persistent cough
• Signs of dehydration
• Symptoms that get better, then come back
• Wheezing or problems breathing

Sometimes the flu can cause more severe complications, which require a trip to the emergency room.

Here are a few signs you may need to go to the ER for the flu:

• Dark-colored urine
• Extreme thirst
• Persistent, high fever that lasts more than three days
• Severe or consistent vomiting
• Severe or consistent diarrhea

How Does Urgent Care Treat the Flu?

When you visit an AdventHealth Centra Care urgent care location for flu symptoms, you can expect compassionate, professional medical care with comprehensive flu services that can help you get tested and treated quickly and comfortably.

• Evaluation: Your physician will ask you about your symptoms and will conduct a quick physical exam. They may also use a rapid flu test to confirm the diagnosis.
• Treatment options: Depending on when your symptoms started and how severe they are, your doctor may prescribe an antiviral medication (like Tamiflu®).
• Symptom relief: In addition to antiviral medications, your doctor will provide you with their best recommendations for fever reducers, hydration and rest for at-home care, as well as advice for when to seek additional care.
• Convenience: AdventHealth Centra Care offers same-day, evening and weekend hours, so that patients can get timely care for non-life-threatening health issues without a trip to the emergency room.

How to Treat Flu Symptoms at Home

Want to know how to feel better faster?

Here are our top tips for getting better while dealing with the flu recovery at home:

• Drink water! Keep your body as hydrated as possible to prevent dehydration.
• Rest and (try to) relax! Your body needs sleep to help it fight off the virus.
• Run a humidifier in your bedroom to help soothe coughs, congestion and sore throats.
• Soothe body aches and congestion with a steamy bath or shower.
• Take over-the-counter medications as needed, such as pain relievers for fever and body aches, nasal decongestants and cough suppressants. (Never give aspirin to children with flu-like symptoms)

If your symptoms don’t improve within five days, AdventHealth Centra Care is here to help with same-day urgent care.

How Long Does the Flu Last?

For most people, flu symptoms start to appear between one to four days after being exposed to the influenza virus. Those symptoms can last anywhere between five to seven days in total, although some symptoms, like a cough or general tiredness, may linger.

While most people start to feel better within a week, children, older adults, and those with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems may have a longer flu recovery time.

If symptoms last longer than 10 days or get worse, visit AdventHealth Centra Care for evaluation.

Is the Flu Contagious?

Yes, the flu is extremely contagious. You can get infected by touching a surface contaminated with the virus or by breathing in respiratory droplets from someone who is sick. The flu virus can survive on hard surfaces, like doorknobs and countertops, for up to 24 to 48 hours, and on soft surfaces, like clothing or tissues, for about eight to 12 hours. Airborne particles can linger for minutes to a few hours, depending on the ventilation and humidity levels.

Once infected, you can start spreading the flu to others about one day before symptoms appear and remain contagious for up to five to seven days after becoming sick. Children, people with weakened immune systems and those with severe illness may be contagious for longer than a week.

If you catch the flu, follow these steps to prevent spreading the flu to those around you:

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then wash your hands afterwards.
• Disinfect high-touch hard surfaces in your home, such as countertops, doorknobs and toys.
• Don’t leave the house! This includes going to work, church, the grocery store, the gym, or sending your kids to daycare or school. The moment you leave your home, you expose others to the flu, so do everything you can to keep it contained.
• Stay home at least 24 hours after your fever ends.
• Wash your hands with soap and water often to keep the virus from spreading.
• Wear a mask as needed.

If you have a young child, elderly grandparent, or loved one with a chronic health condition, then you know someone who is at risk of flu complications. But what does that mean for them? Essentially, they’re at risk of experiencing extremely severe symptoms, relapsing, or contracting other infections as a result of catching the flu.

These high-risk populations include:

• Babies and toddlers under the age of 5
• Diabetics
• Older adults age 65 and over
• People who have a weakened immune system
• People who are morbidly obese
• Pregnant people
• Residents of long-term care facilities
• Those living with chronic lung, heart or kidney disease

If you or a loved one fits into any of these high-risk groups, be proactive about flu prevention by getting an annual flu shot at AdventHealth Centra Care and early care if they begin to show symptoms.

The Power of Flu Prevention: 2025 Flu Vaccine

Getting your flu shot is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from the flu.

Each year, the flu shot is updated with the dominant influenza strain for that upcoming flu season. That means last year's flu shot may not be effective as it's designed to defend against the previous year’s influenza strain.

We recommend you get your annual flu shot in August or early September, before flu season begins. However, getting your flu shot even later into the winter can still offer you protection as the flu season continues until the spring.

Along with the flu shot, other flu prevention tips include:

• Eating a nutritious diet full of fruits and veggies high in vitamins
• Getting quality sleep every night
• Keeping yourself hydrated throughout the day, every day
• Practicing good hygiene, such as frequently washing your hands and disinfecting hard surfaces

Our AdventHealth Centra Care urgent care locations offer convenient flu shots — walk into an urgent care center without an appointment or reserve a time online.