How long exposed flu

Each year, the flu makes millions of people sick and causes thousands of hospitalizations and flu-related deaths. During the flu season, for example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC estimates there were up to 56 million illnesses, , hospitalizations, and 62, deaths from the flu in the US.

The virus can be especially risky for certain groups, including the very young, elderly, pregnant women, and people with certain medical conditions, which is why it's so scary that you can have influenza and not know it. People who get infected with the flu may develop symptoms like fever, chills, muscle aches, coughing, congestion, headache, and fatigue for about a week.

Most flu patients get better within two weeks, but some people can develop serious complications, like pneumonia, NIAID says. It's important to point out that an incubation period isn't unique to the flu. COVID, for example, also has an incubation period, as do plenty of other infectious diseases. So, if you pick up the flu from a friend who is sick, the time between when you hung out and when you start showing symptoms is the incubation period.

Your body begins mounting a response to the virus as soon as you're exposed to it, through something called your innate immune system , or the one you were born with that helps keep harmful materials from entering your body. Once the virus gets past the innate immune system—after the virus has had time to multiply in your body—your more targeted adaptive immune system kicks in, and you symptoms ramp up.

Here's What Experts Say. Feeling under the weather and don't have the energy to Cold Weather Causes Colds, Right? Myth or fact? You can catch a cold by running around without a hat in frigid temps.

It's not cold weather that makes you sick. It's close quart That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick. Some people can be infected with a flu virus but have no symptoms. During this time, those people may still spread the virus to others.

You may be able to pass on flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick. To receive weekly email updates about Seasonal Flu, enter your email address:. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link.

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