There’s a New Option for Preventing the Flu

Now there’s a medicine with a one-time dose family members can take to prevent the flu from spreading throughout your home.

If you are exposed to someone with the flu, your doctors have a choice of three drugs to help keep you from getting sick. Last fall, Xofluza (baloxavir marboxil) won approval for prevention (it was approved for treatment in 2018). Tamiflu (oseltamivir) won approval for prevention in 2000, as did Relenza (zanamivir) in 2006.

Doctors still say your best strategy to avoid the flu is to get a vaccine — especially this winter when many hospitals are full to bursting with COVID-19 cases. Both the flu (which still circulates despite COVID-19) and the coronavirus can be serious or deadly.

Especially if someone in your household is sick with symptoms of flu, you can take one of the anti-flu drugs immediately or within 48 hours of the beginning of symptoms.

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Don’t just try to tough it out if you’re a parent taking care of a sick child, or an elderly person living in the same household. Talk to your doctor.

Note: Flu drugs are not antibiotics. Those treat illnesses caused by bacteria — strep throat, tuberculosis, and many types of pneumonia. The flu, colds, and most sore throats are caused by viruses, which work differently than bacteria and won’t be affected by an antibiotic.

How are the flu prevention drugs different from each other?

Tamiflu stops infected cells from releasing the flu virus, slowing the spread of the virus through your body. It comes as capsules or a liquid you take every day for at least 10 days after contact with a sick person. Relenza works in the same way but comes as a powder that you inhale by mouth with a special device.

Xofluza stops the flu virus from making copies of itself. Also, you need to take only one dose, as a tablet or as granules you mix in water.

It won approval for prevention based on a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial with volunteers 12 years of age and older who were exposed to a person sick with flu in their household. In the control group, of 304 volunteers who received a placebo, 13 percent became infected and got a fever and at least one respiratory symptom within 10 days. Among the 303 volunteers who received Xofluza, only 1 percent of the volunteers had a fever and symptoms. Xofluza does have side effects, including diarrhea, bronchitis, nausea, sinusitis, and headache. Some people develop allergic reactions. You can’t take it with dairy products calcium-fortified beverages, or laxatives, antacids, or oral supplements containing calcium, iron, magnesium, selenium, aluminum, or zinc.

How do I know if I (or someone in my household) has a flu?

The flu can trigger these symptoms:

• Fever or feeling feverish or having chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue (tiredness)
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle pain or body aches
• Headache

Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.

How do I know if it’s COVID-19?

It’s not possible to know without testing. Those symptoms could also be caused by the coronoavirus. If you have a loss of taste or smell, there is more reason to suspect COVID-19.

Get help quickly if you or a household member has trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, can’t wake up or stay awake, has bluish lips or face, or becomes confused (a new symptom).

You can have both the flu and COVID-19 at once. Some areas may have a test available that can look for both the coronavirus and flu viruses at one time.

Until you know whether a sick person has the flu or COVID-19, anyone in your household should act as if you’ve all been exposed to COVID-19 and stay home and away from other household members.

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