Symptoms and treatment

The symptoms of swine flu are similar to regular flu symptoms. The most common symptoms include a sudden fever, a sore throat, cough and a runny nose. Typically, swine flu does not start with just a runny nose.

Other possible symptoms are body aches, headache, chills and tiredness. Some people with swine flu have also reported vomiting and diarrhoea. Children may also experience stomach ache.

The incubation period for influenza (the time between infection and appearance of symptoms) is usually 2–3 days, but symptoms may start 1–7 days from contamination.

When to seek medical care

As the clinical picture of the disease is similar to common seasonal influenza, most people infected with the swine flu virus will not require medical care or antiviral drugs, but can stay home until they are well.

Advice on home care

Certain symptoms do, however, require immediate medical attention:
When to seek medical care

Clinical diagnosis if necessary

Laboratory tests are required to confirm whether a person has been infected with influenza A(H1N1)v (swine flu). These tests are carried out for all persons who are hospitalised and, when necessary, also for other persons with serious symptoms and at-risk individuals.

Who is most at risk?