It’s bad enough when the flu bug strikes your family the first time—but when those same aches and high fevers strike more than once, you’ll be left wondering, can you get the flu twice? Sadly, the answer is yes.
As awful as it sounds, it is possible to get the flu twice in one season because there are two different types of the virus. “A child could be infected by both influenza A and influenza B in the same year,” Dr. Ian Tong, chief medical officer at Doctor on Demand told POPSUGAR.
#Parents: #Flu vaccination reduced the risk of flu-related death by half in children with high-risk medical conditions and 65% in healthy children from 2010 to 2014. #FightFlu this season with a flu vaccine, the best protection against flu. https://t.co/ttZcNp0Ejw pic.twitter.com/hJFiz3zqhw
— CDC Flu (@CDCFlu) October 22, 2018
While having the flu is miserable either way, the types can be different when it comes to symptoms and severity. “Influenza A subtype, or influenza A, is the more dangerous subtype of the flu,” Dr. Tong explained. While the symptoms tend to be more severe than those of influenza B, the good news is they don’t last quite as long. Influenza B on the other hand, is associated with milder symptoms, but tends to last longer.
Regardless of which type, the important thing to keep in mind is that treating any flu virus is the same. Dr. Tong advises, “Wash your hands, cover your mouth or your child’s mouth when he or she coughs, and isolate that person from other family members if possible, especially those who have weaker immune systems.”
—Shahrzad Warkentin
Featured photo: Myriams Photos via Pixabay
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