A Nebraska nurse and mom of two is sharing an important warning after her son developed a flu symptom that she had never even heard about.
Flu activity has been particularly devastating this season. According to NBC News, at least four different influenza strains are making people sick, and the flu vaccine works poorly against the most common strain currently circulating (H3N2). By January 20, 2018, at least 30 kids had died from influenza. The CDC expects that over 100 more kids will die of the flu this year.
Some of the most common flu symptoms are fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, and fatigue, while some (more commonly kids than adults) can also experience vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC. That’s why Brodi Willard didn’t have a clue that her son Seb’s hives might have had anything to do with the flu.
Alongside a photo of Seb’s hives shared on Facebook, Brodi wrote:
My son came home from school with hives. Every time he would scratch, more would appear. We tried changing his clothes and giving him a bath, but nothing helped. I called his pediatrician. They said they had two kids come into the office that day with the same symptoms and tested POSITIVE FOR INFLUENZA.
I took him to the doctor this morning, and he tested POSITIVE for INFLUENZA B. He has had NO symptoms. No fever, no cough, and no runny nose. He only has hives. Please keep watch on your children so if they develop hives, please call your pediatrician. I have never heard of this symptom, but it is obviously something to be on the lookout for.
Thankfully, Brodi caught Seb’s flu before it got worse. The doctors put the little boy on Tamiflu, and “he’s been fine,” according to WOWT. Meanwhile, Brodi’s Facebook post has been shared over 250,000 times by people wanting to spread awareness about this unexpected flu symptom.
Experts say that the flu virus is always mutating, and this “new and usual” symptom isn’t all that uncommon now. “It always changes slightly,” Senior Epidemiologist Dr. Anne O’Keefe with the Douglas County Health Department told WOWT. “That’s why we have to have a new vaccine every year. We watch the changes happening in other parts of the world right before it gets here.”
Please SHARE Brodi’s warning with your friends and family on Facebook!
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