Ntombi Ngobese went to hospital to care for her daughter.
Instead, she became the next patient.
Her daughter had been admitted with Influenza A and was covered by her father's medical aid.
Two days later, Ngobese also became sick with the virus.
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Unlike her daughter, she was not covered by the same medical aid.
She told Scrolla.Africa she had no choice but to pay cash for her own treatment.
The costs came fast.
Her prescription alone cost about R1,650.
"It included antibiotics, an inhaler, cough syrup and vitamins", said Ngobese.
But the expenses did not end there.
"When we returned home, I was forced to change our family's diet to help us recover quickly", she said.
She bought more fruit, vegetables and protein rich foods to help rebuild their strength.
That meant another unexpected expense at a time when the family was already under pressure.
This was not the first time illness had turned their lives upside down.
Since 2026, Ngobese and her daughter have been admitted to hospital twice after being diagnosed with Influenza A and Respiratory Syncytial Virus.
Their story reflects the growing financial burden many South African families face during a severe flu season.
A simple cough or fever can quickly turn into doctor's bills, medicine, healthy food, transport costs and days away from work.
For families without medical aid, the pressure is even greater.
Statistics South Africa estimates that fewer than 10 million South Africans belong to medical schemes or have private health insurance.
That is only about 15% of the population.
More than 85% of South Africans rely on public healthcare services when they become seriously ill.
Even families with some medical cover can still face out of pocket costs for medicine, transport and recovery.
Pharmacies across the country have reported strong demand for cold and flu medicines this winter.
Basic flu medicine can cost more than R100, while prescription treatment, doctor's consultations and laboratory tests can push the total bill into the thousands of rand.
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A Johannesburg pharmacist said the original Tamiflu costs about R800 for a five day course, while a generic version costs about half that amount.
Patients who develop bacterial infections may also need antibiotics, adding even more to the final bill.
Some people become so sick that they need hospital treatment.
One Johannesburg resident recently told of spending about R11,000 on consultations, pathology tests and medicine after being diagnosed with influenza.
Health experts say this year's flu season started earlier than usual and has been particularly severe.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases found influenza in 10% of people tested for flu and pneumonia symptoms.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus accounted for 20% of the cases.
The World Health Organization estimates that seasonal influenza infects about one billion people every year and causes between 290,000 and 650,000 respiratory deaths.
The cost of flu reaches far beyond hospitals and pharmacies.
A National Institute for Communicable Diseases funded study estimated that influenza costs South Africa about R4.5 billion every year through medical expenses, lost productivity and workers staying home because they are too sick to work.
For Ngobese, those figures are no longer just numbers.
They are the reality of paying for medicine, changing the family budget and trying to keep her loved ones healthy through another difficult winter.
