Nurse Shares Urgent Warning About Uncomfortable Flu Symptom Most Parents Have Never Seen
Brodi Willard/Facebook, Melissa Captain/FacebookFlu season is in full swing, and in most states, the virus is proving to be more dangerous than ever. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been at least 26 million illnesses and 18,000 deaths from influenza in this year's flu season thus far. Not only that, but hospitalization rates in people younger than 65 are highest among infants and children 4 and younger. As a result, parents everywhere are looking out for things like fevers, runny noses, and coughs.
But there's one flu symptom many moms and dads don't know to look out for. Back in 2018, Brodi Willard, a Nebraska nurse and mom, warned parents after her son was diagnosed with influenza B. His only symptom? Hives.
"Please read and share," Willard wrote on Facebook. "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."
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Worried, Willard took her son to see his pediatrician.
Sure enough, he was diagnosed with influenza B, and his mom was left in shock.
"He has had NO symptoms," she wrote in her post. "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."
She didn't expect her post to go viral.
Willard, who is a registered nurse, told WOWT she never expected her post to go viral, but within four days, it got more than 167,000 shares. Even more surprisingly, many people started leaving comments saying their kids got hives as a flu symptom as well.
Hives can indicate a number of viruses.
As some people pointed out, hives can actually be a "symptom" of many viruses. They're an immune response that can be triggered by your body fighting a viral infection, and they usually only last for a few days. In rare cases, they can last for up to six weeks or even be accompanied by other dangerous symptoms, such as swelling of the throat or tongue.
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But we should know that they may indicate a flu infection.
Although the hives themselves are not usually cause for concern, it's important to note them as a sign of the flu so kids can get tested and diagnosed sooner. Influenza B is similar to influenza A, the strain responsible for the vast majority of flu deaths this year, though it's generally not thought to be as dangerous because the B virus does not mutate as quickly.
Still, it is highly contagious and can cause serious complications, such as bronchitis, pneumonia, inflammation of the heart or brain, and even organ failure.
Influenza B and influenza A have similar symptoms.
Symptoms of influenza B are similar to symptoms of influenza A. They typically include things like fever, runny nose, cough, sore throat, and vomiting or diarrhea. But as demonstrated by this mom's post, it's important to consult your children's doctor any time you suspect they might be seriously ill. An early diagnosis could help them get better faster and keep them from spreading the virus to people at school.
