Influenza-like illnesses: What are they?

CAVITE CITY — Some Filipinos are experiencing fear and anxiety as social media is buzzing about the recent increase in influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) in the country.

However, what is an ILI and what does it mean?

Influenza-like illnesses

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ILIs are contagious illnesses caused by several different viruses or bacteria that cause infections in the nose, throat, or lungs.

WHO said seasonal influenza is a common occurrence around the world and that most people recover without treatment.

The Department of Health recently recorded 6,457 ILI cases from September 28 to October 11, 2025.

Symptoms

ILIs often present the following symptoms, along with fever no less than 38ºC and coughs spanning at least 10 days:

• Swollen throat
• Runny nose
• Headache
• Chills
• Body pain
• Weakness or low energy
• Vomiting, and
• Diarrhea.

How do you get infected

Such illnesses are highly contagious and can be transferred through droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected patient, or by touching contaminated items.

It can develop within the first three to four days, often starting without symptoms.

According to the DOH, the current top causes of ILIs are influenza, rhinovirus, and enterovirus.

What to do when symptoms manifest

According to the DOH, individuals with symptoms must:

• Remain at home and refrain from interacting with other people
• Avoid “high risk” patients like children, elderly, and people with co-morbidities
• Drink medicine to manage fever
• Ensure proper rest, and
• Drink enough water and eat healthy, nutritious food.

How to avoid getting infected

Due to a seasonal uptick in ILIs, the DOH said it is best to avoid catching the disease by:

• Avoiding crowded places
• Wearing masks indoors and outdoors
• Covering one’s mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
• Staying in places with proper air ventilation
• Always washing hands and use alcohol-based sanitizers, and
• Ensuring that vaccinations are complete and up to date.

“The public health advice is still wash your hands. If you’re sick, stay at home and do not spread it all over. At home, i-isolate yung may sakit… (At home, isolate the sick…) It’s the same as COVID. Wearing a mask would help, isolating the sick in one room would help, not sharing your food would help kasi (because) that’s how the virus spreads,” said DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa said.

“Same principles as COVID, we learned this na. Walang panic. Number one, walang outbreak ng sakit, no single virus. Madaming causes yan… Talagang panahon lang talaga pagdating ng tag-ulan, talagang panahon ng flu-like symptoms. Influenza spreads very fast,” he added.

(Same principles as COVID, we learned this already. There’s no panic. Number one, there is no outbreak of illnesses, no single virus. There’s a lot of causes... When the rainy season arrives, it’s also the season for flu-like symptoms. Influenza spreads very fast.)

The DOH also launched its "Trangkaso Bye-Bye" to aid the public in avoiding ILIs by promoting proper handwashing, adequate rest, and healthy nutrition as the best ways to avoid infection.

"Maghugas ng Kamay, Trangkaso Bye-Bye! Magpahinga sa Bahay, Trangkaso Bye-Bye! Kumain ng Prutas at Gulay, Trangkaso Bye-Bye!" read the campaign slogan.

(Wash your hands, good-bye flu! Rest at home, good-bye flu! Eat fruits and vegetables, good-bye flu!)

Is there an outbreak?

The DOH assured that there is no outbreak or epidemic of ILIs in the country.

“During this time, the -ber months, this is our flu season, it’s our ILIs. Talagang dumadami yan, and we have thousands of cases reported,” Herbosa said in a public briefing.

(During this time, the -ber months, this is our flu season, it’s our ILIs. This really goes up and we have thousands of cases reported.)

“It cannot be based on anecdotal reports [that there is an] outbreak or something. It’s not an outbreak. It’s a seasonal flu, there’s a curve of all seasons, and the precautions are all the same,” he added.

During the Mental Health Month Observance event in Cavite City on Tuesday, DOH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo reassured that there are no lockdowns that would be taking place. — JMA, GMA Integrated News