When is Flu Season?

When Is Flu Season? Shifting Trends and a Future Outlook

Timing is everything when it comes to seasonal illnesses. Understanding flu season trends helps ensure you and your family get your annual flu shots in time for full protection each year. Let’s explore the timing of flu season, what’s changing and tips for keeping your family protected against influenza.

When Is Flu Season?

Flu season is the time of the year when the influenza virus is in wide circulation. For most areas of the U.S., including Florida, flu season normally runs from October to May, with the most activity peaking from December to February. However, every flu season is different, so the start and end dates of flu season can vary slightly from year to year.

Why does the flu spread during colder months?

• Cold, dry air is an ideal environment for the flu virus to stay alive.
• Lower immune defenses due to cold weather.
• More indoor time due to cold weather, including at school and work.
• Reduced vitamin D from spending less time outside in the sun.

The flu is not the only respiratory illness that loves the cold weather. Flu season normally overlaps with peak times for other respiratory diseases, such as COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), as well.

Shifting Trends in Flu Seasons

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the 2025-2026 flu season will be moderate to severe, based on the flu seasons of past years.

In general, the CDC expects there to be a similar amount of hospitalizations for the respiratory disease season, including the flu, COVID-19 and RSV.

A few other things to know about the 2025-2026 flu season:

• The main influenza strains that will be active are influenza A H1N1 and H3N2, as well as influenza B/Victoria lineage. Influenza A is the strain of the flu that causes the majority of illnesses.
• The 2025-2026 flu season is anticipated to peak between December and February.
• The current flu vaccine is trivalent, meaning it targets all three main flu strains.

Why Is the Flu Season Getting Longer?

While we're accustomed to a flu season running from October through April or May, it actually hasn't always been this long. The flu season of 1980-1981 ran from December through March, and in 1989-1990, it lasted from late December until April.

So what happened to make the flu season last as long as it does today?

Some of these influencing factors include:

• Consistent change in the influenza strain from year to year.
• Flu shot rates are not as high as they once were.
• Increased global travel makes it easier to spread the flu to other countries and bring back flu strains from different parts of the globe.
• Lower exposure to the flu due to the COVID-19 pandemic's mask mandates and social distancing rules, resulting in lower inherent immunity.
• Multiple influenza strains can be present at the same time, making vaccination trickier and potentially creating a "second peak" once one strain wanes.
• Other respiratory viruses, such as RSV and COVID-19, can increase a person's risk of contracting the flu.

All of these factors impact vaccination timing and public health planning, making it important for scientists to continue to closely monitor how long the current flu season is and how it's changing every year.

How to Stay Healthy During Flu Season

No one ever enjoys getting the flu. And for certain populations, such as very young children, older adults and those with chronic health conditions, the flu can be a much more serious issue as they are at a higher risk of developing complications.

The good news is that there are several ways you can help prevent you and your family from getting the flu this year.

Get Your Flu Vaccination Early

The best way to keep you and your family as healthy as possible during flu season is to get their annual flu vaccine before the flu season really gets underway.

The CDC recommends people get their flu shot between September and October. If you get it earlier than that, you may run the risk of it wearing off before the end of flu season.

Types of Flu Shots

There are a few different types of flu vaccines available today. The one you receive may depend upon your age and health status.

They include:

• The traditional flu vaccine is given by injection and contains an inactivated influenza virus. The virus used in the vaccine is normally grown in fertilized chicken eggs, making this not a good option for those with egg allergies.
• A recombinant version of the standard flu vaccine where the virus in the shot is created using genetic material, rather than grown in eggs, making it an egg-free option, given via injection.
• The nasal spray flu vaccine contains a weakened version of the live influenza virus. While approved for ages 2 to 49, it is used frequently for kids and adolescents, but it is not as effective as the flu shot.
• Adjuvanted and high-dose flu vaccines are designed specifically for older adults ages 65 and up. Both contain more antigen amounts than the standard flu shot, helping to strongly boost the body's immune response to the influenza virus.

Talk to your primary care provider about vaccine recommendations and which flu shot you should get.

It’s important to remember that the flu shot will not give you the flu. The shot contains a dead version of the virus that trains your immune system to look for and defend against the flu strain if you do become infected with the live influenza virus.

If you didn’t get your flu shot yet this year, don't worry — you can still get the flu shot at any AdventHealth Centra Care urgent care location, which will still help protect you from the remainder of this year's flu season.

If You Think You Have the Flu, Get Tested and Treated

If you or a loved one is experiencing flu-like symptoms, it's important to:

• Mask up and get tested for the flu at your nearest AdventHealth Centra Care urgent care center, to make sure it’s the flu and not something else, like COVID-19
• If your test is positive for the flu, start treatment right away

Antiviral medications, such as Tamiflu®, are now available to help treat your flu. While they can't prevent or completely stop you from getting sick, they can help reduce the severity and duration of your symptoms. Remember — antiviral medications are not a substitute for the flu vaccine.

Antivirals are most effective when taken within 48 hours of flu symptoms starting, which is why it's crucial to get tested for the flu right away.

For most people, their flu symptoms are treated through at-home care practices, including:

• Fever and pain management through over-the-counter medications
• Lots and lots of rest
• Running a humidifier in your bedroom to help soothe coughs and congested noses
• Staying as hydrated as possible

Individuals in high-risk groups should consult their primary care provider (PCP) as soon as they experience any flu symptoms.

If You Have the Flu, Don’t Spread It

Influenza is extremely contagious and is mainly passed from one person to another through microscopic saliva or mucus droplets expelled from an infected person when they cough, sneeze or speak.

But the virus can also survive on surfaces for several hours, meaning that doorknobs, countertops, phones and other commonly touched items can carry the virus. Touching these surfaces and then touching your face, nose or mouth can increase your risk of infection. Frequent hand-washing and surface cleaning are important to help reduce the transmission of the virus.

Follow these tips to reduce your chances of getting sick or spreading the flu:

• Cover your coughs and sneezes
• Disinfect high-touch objects like kitchen counters, doorknobs and toys
• Don't share cups, eating utensils or toothbrushes
• When you’re sick, isolate at home to prevent the flu from spreading, which includes staying home from work and school
• Stay home for at least 24 hours until your fever has disappeared
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water
• Wear a mask if you have to be around others

Future Flu Outlook

While we can predict there will be another influenza season this year, we can't truly anticipate what that flu season will be like. Much of that has to do with the fact that the influenza virus is constantly evolving, which means there's a good chance you won't have the same strain next year.

The good news is that there are some tried-and-true things you can do every flu season that can help protect you from the influenza virus, regardless of how the season changes from year to year, such as:

• Always practicing good hygiene measures, such as frequent hand-washing
• Getting an annual flu vaccine with that year's current influenza strains
• Keep an eye on the flu season and how it's progressing in your area and around the country using the CDC's FluView surveillance report or by contacting your local AdventHealth Centra Care urgent care provider

Don’t Fear Flu Season

It can be a bit scary to think that the flu season is ever-changing, and knowing that this year's flu season will probably not be the same as next year's. The best way to be prepared for anything the flu season brings is to get your annual flu vaccination, practice good hygiene and be aware if you or a loved one is in a high-risk population.

Find a convenient AdventHealth Centra Care urgent care location to get your annual flu vaccination or high-quality flu services and treatment.