WHO says influenza can cause severe illness or death, especially in people at high risk. The groups WHO lists as higher risk, CDC’s emergency warning signs, how a ministry guide as reported in Egypt differs from WHO, and the questions to take to your doctor.
Yes, the flu can be dangerous. The World Health Organization (WHO) says influenza can cause severe illness or death, especially in people at high risk, and puts respiratory deaths from it at 290,000 to 650,000 a year worldwide (fact sheet dated 28 February 2025). Your own risk is for your doctor to judge.
This page sets out WHO’s list of higher-risk groups and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) emergency warning signs in plain words. It does not tell you whether you have the flu or how serious your illness is, and it diagnoses nothing.
In short:
- WHO (28 February 2025) lists pregnant women, children under 5, older people, people with chronic conditions and people with weakened immunity as at higher risk of severe flu.
- CDC (page dated 26 August 2024) lists emergency warning signs, including trouble breathing and persistent pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen. With any of them, go to the nearest emergency department or call emergency services now.
Last checked: 31 October 2026, on the pages listed under Sources. Guidelines and pages change, so confirm with your doctor.
Is the flu dangerous?
It can be. WHO’s fact sheet (28 February 2025) sets these worldwide numbers beside that warning:
| What WHO reports | Figure |
|---|---|
| Cases of seasonal influenza a year | Around a billion |
| Severe illness among them | 3 to 5 million cases |
| Respiratory deaths a year | 290,000 to 650,000 |
WHO, influenza (seasonal) fact sheet, dated 28 February 2025, read 31 October 2026. These are worldwide figures, not Egypt’s.
WHO adds that in severe cases influenza can lead to pneumonia and sepsis, and that the cough can be severe and last 2 weeks or more.
Who is at higher risk of severe flu?
WHO’s fact sheet (28 February 2025) names these groups as at higher risk of severe disease or complications. Whether a group applies to you or to someone in your family is for your doctor to say.
- Pregnant women
- Children under 5
- Older people
- People with chronic medical conditions, such as chronic cardiac, pulmonary, renal, metabolic, neurodevelopmental, liver or haematologic diseases
- People with weakened immunity: WHO’s examples are HIV, receiving chemotherapy or steroids, and malignancy
When should I see a doctor for the flu?
WHO (28 February 2025) says people with other medical issues or severe symptoms should seek medical care, and people with mild symptoms should seek it if their symptoms get worse. For emergency warning signs, CDC’s page on flu signs and symptoms (dated 26 August 2024) lists these:
In children
- Fast breathing or trouble breathing
- Bluish lips or face
- Ribs pulling in with each breath
- Chest pain
- Severe muscle pain (the child refuses to walk)
- Dehydration (no urine for 8 hours, dry mouth, no tears when crying)
- Not alert or interacting when awake
- Seizures
- Fever above 104°F (40°C) that is not controlled by fever-reducing medicine
- In children younger than 12 weeks, any fever
- Fever or cough that improve but then return or worsen
- Worsening of chronic medical conditions
In adults
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
- Persistent dizziness, confusion, or being unable to wake the person
- Seizures
- Not urinating
- Severe muscle pain
- Severe weakness or unsteadiness
- Fever or cough that improve but then return or worsen
- Worsening of chronic medical conditions
CDC says people with these warning signs should get medical care right away, and that its lists are not all-inclusive: consult a medical provider about any other symptom that is severe or concerning. If you or someone near you has any of the signs above, go to the nearest emergency department or call emergency services now. An app cannot make that call: urgency is the clinician’s call.
What should I ask my doctor about the flu?
- Am I, or is the person I care for, in a higher-risk group?
- Which symptoms mean we should come back, or go to the emergency department, rather than wait?
- Does a chronic condition, a pregnancy or a treatment I am on change how this illness should be watched?
- Is vaccination something to discuss, and when? The flu vaccine page sets out what Egypt’s ministry has said.
Not sure which doctor to start with? Every patient journey starts with a question has a first-stop checklist. This tool helps you write down what you notice and when it started:
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In Egypt: what has the Ministry of Health said?
We did not find the Ministry of Health and Population’s own flu risk list or warning signs on its home page (read 31 October 2026), which does not prove none exists, so what follows is as an Egyptian news outlet reported it. Masrawy reported on 17 December 2025 a guide on handling flu patients from the ministry’s Preventive Medicine Sector. The report links no ministry page and we have not read the guide itself. As reported, it lists pregnant women, people with chronic disease and people with weakened immunity, as WHO does, and adults over 65 where WHO says “older people”. It differs from WHO here:
| Group | WHO, 28 February 2025 | Ministry guide, as Masrawy reported it (17 December 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Young children | Under 5 | Under 2 |
| Severe obesity | Not in its list of groups | Listed |
Read 31 October 2026. The ministry column is a news outlet’s account, not the guide. Ask your own clinic which ages and groups it applies.
The ministry’s season figures and school advice are in our planner for flu, RSV and COVID season.
Where Medigize stands
Medigize is a navigation tool. It does not diagnose the flu or tell you whether something is an emergency. We are building a record that moves with the patient, shared only with their consent. If you would like to follow that work, you can register your interest.
Frequently asked questions
Is the flu dangerous?
It can be. WHO says influenza can cause severe illness or death, especially in people at high risk (fact sheet of 28 February 2025).
Who is at higher risk of severe flu?
WHO (28 February 2025) lists pregnant women, children under 5, older people, people with chronic conditions and people with weakened immunity.
When should I see a doctor for the flu?
WHO (28 February 2025) says people with other medical issues or severe symptoms should seek medical care. With any of the CDC emergency warning signs listed above (page dated 26 August 2024), go to the nearest emergency department or call emergency services now.
Medigize is a non-diagnostic navigation tool. This is general information, not medical advice. In an emergency, call an ambulance or go to the nearest emergency department.
Sources
- World Health Organization: influenza (seasonal), fact sheet of 28 February 2025, read 31 October 2026
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: signs and symptoms of flu (page dated 26 August 2024), read 31 October 2026
- Masrawy, 17 December 2025: the Ministry of Health and Population’s Preventive Medicine Sector guide on handling flu patients, as the outlet reported it, read 31 October 2026
- Ministry of Health and Population, Egypt: home page (we did not find a flu risk list or warning signs on it), read 31 October 2026
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