Other common symptoms are cough, loss of appetite, and a runny or stuffy nose. Children who have the flu may often experience nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. These gastrointestinal symptoms are not usually part of the flu in teens and adults.
Most healthy people recover from cases of flu without a problem.
Sometimes, however, a child with the flu develops complications, such as ear infection, sinusitis or pneumonia. The flu is spread from person to person by direct contact or through virus-infected droplets coughed or sneezed into the air. The incubation period is 1 to 3 days, and people with the flu are contagious from the 24 hours before they become ill until their symptoms resolve. At greatest risk for serious illness and complications are those with chronic diseases of the lungs and heart. People with cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, and immune system disease are also at increased risk, as are the elderly.