This is a practical problem, but I have to practise my flute today and I have flu.
so What is the best way to clean the flute if you have flu? (ie, the germs inside it)

Thanks

I thought one of the doctors here would reply....

but I think that if you just leave it out of its case all the time so that it can dry completely, any germs will die off. Most need moisture to survive and multiply.

I'm a surgeon, not a microbiologist, but I would have thought the same. There are some diseases that form spores and some viruses that can withstand desiccation but I don't think flu is one of them. Although it is possible it is also fairly unlikely that you have flu - at least as in "influenza": A rather nasty common cold is more likely. I'm not saying this to be disparaging in any way, merely to point out that even then, the drying out advice almost certainly holds true.

Get well soon!

Going from personal experience if you do have flu I think it would be fairly unlikely that you'd be able to HOLD your flute, let alone play it.

And I strongly discourage pupils who feel ill with bad colds from playing, and as sbhoa says, anyone with flu wouldn't be able to.

This has been posted in woodwind too :-( In all the years of playing i have never infected myself. Yor immune system will be developing antibodies against your particular virus so unlikely to reinfect just clean as normal. I agree with abvove statement to you would be laid up if you had proper flu.