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Estimate seasonal influenza complication-risk burden with transparent points for age, pregnancy, chronic conditions, immunosuppression, obesity, smoking, long-term care, and occupational exposure. Bands: 0–6 lower, 7–14 moderate, 15+ higher (educational cutoffs). Not CDC FLUEDD, not infection probability, and not vaccine or antiviral prescribing. More tools on our medical calculators hub.
Last updated: June 4, 2026
Moderate influenza risk-factor burden (educational)
7
Total points (BMI 40+ replaces the 30–39.9 obesity row in the tally)
Age
5
Pregnancy
0
Lung
0
Heart
0
Diabetes
2
Immune / cancer Rx
0
Kidney
0
Liver
0
Neuro
0
Obesity
0
Smoking
0
LTC resident
0
HCW / public
0
Moderate educational burden: a mix of age, medical, body-weight, behavioral, or setting factors adds context for prevention conversations. Low scores do not mean zero risk—healthy people can still develop severe influenza.
Trouble breathing, chest pain, confusion, persistent high fever, or dehydration in pregnancy or chronic illness may be emergencies—seek urgent in-person care. This page does not tell you whether you need antivirals, tests, or vaccines; follow local guidance and your clinician.
Healthy adult 18–49
0 pts
lower
Age 65+ and diabetes
7 pts
moderate
Age 0–4 + chronic lung (6 pts max for lower)
6 pts
lower
65+, multi-morbidity, BMI 40+, smoker
20 pts
higher
| Age band | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–4 years | +4 | Teaching emphasis on dehydration and lower respiratory complications in young children |
| 5–17 years | +1 | School-age spread context; still not pediatric triage |
| 18–49 years | +0 | Baseline adult band on this checklist |
| 50–64 years | +2 | Middle-age increment in educational model |
| 65 years and older | +5 | Aligns with CDC “65+” high-risk age messaging |
| Factor | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pregnant (if applicable) | +3 | Any trimester in public-health high-risk lists |
| Chronic lung disease (e.g., asthma, COPD) | +2 | Includes moderate–severe asthma in CDC teaching |
| Heart disease | +2 | Congenital or acquired cardiac disease themes |
| Diabetes (type 1 or 2) | +2 | Metabolic comorbidity burden |
| Immunocompromised or active cancer therapy | +4 | Highest single comorbidity weight on this page |
| Chronic kidney disease | +2 | Dialysis and CKD populations in CDC lists |
| Chronic liver disease | +2 | Includes cirrhosis themes |
| Neurologic or neurodevelopmental condition | +2 | Brain, spinal cord, nerve, muscle, or developmental conditions |
| Obesity BMI 30–39.9 | +1 | Ignored if severe obesity (40+) is selected |
| Severe obesity BMI 40+ | +3 | Replaces moderate obesity points |
| Current smoker | +1 | Combustible tobacco; pulmonary vulnerability |
| Resident of long-term care facility | +4 | Congregate setting / frailty cluster |
| Healthcare worker or high public contact | +1 | Acquisition exposure—not intrinsic medical risk alone |
| Band | Points | Meaning | Educational next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower (0–6 points) | 0–6 | Fewer selected high-risk themes on this educational checklist | Routine prevention: hand hygiene, stay home when ill, discuss annual flu vaccine with clinician |
| Moderate (7–14 points) | 7–14 | Several age, medical, behavioral, or setting factors present | Sick-day plan, earlier clinician contact if ill, vaccination and antiviral eligibility per guidelines |
| Higher (15+ points) | 15+ | Many CDC-aligned risk themes on this transparent sum | Prioritize prevention; low threshold to call clinician when influenza-like illness starts—not ER by score alone |
| Tool | Purpose | Output | Validated? |
|---|---|---|---|
| This flu risk score (thecalcs) | Educational sum of common high-risk themes | Points 0–6 / 7–14 / 15+ | No — teaching transparency, not CDC FLUEDD |
| CDC “People at Higher Risk” list | Official public-health high-risk condition categories | Qualitative list, not a single number | Yes — use for vaccine and prevention messaging |
| CURB-65 pneumonia score | Adult CAP severity after pneumonia diagnosis | 0–5 points, mortality teaching | Yes — different problem than pre-illness flu risk |
| COVID symptom severity checklist | Acute multi-organ symptom burden teaching | Separate point model on thecalcs | Educational only — see our COVID calculator |
Age extremes, pregnancy, organ-system chronic disease, and immunosuppression—themes used in prevention and early-treatment messaging.
Largest single-factor weight on this page—reflects teaching emphasis on cancer therapy and immune-modifying conditions.
Long-term care (+4) captures outbreak and frailty clusters; healthcare contact (+1) captures acquisition risk separately from medical vulnerability.
After pneumonia diagnosis: CURB-65 calculator. Acute symptoms: COVID symptom severity calculator.
Not medical advice: Vaccination, testing, isolation, and antiviral decisions require a licensed clinician and current guidelines—never this educational score alone.
For influenza awareness, workplace health education, and nursing fundamentals
Suggested hashtags: #Flu #Influenza #PublicHealth #Prevention #Calculator