It’s that time of year again where it is time to head over to your doctor and get a flu shot, if you wasn’t done so already.
Parents are becoming more serious this year and taking extra precaution to be aware of symptoms such as fevers and runny noses in their small children. However, for one mom and nurse her son got a symptom that she would of never thought would be connected to the flu and what happened next is something we all have to read about.
Brodi Willard was concerned when her son developed hives but after taking him to the doctor she couldn’t believe what he was diagnosed with. She immediately took to Facebook to warn others and we’re very glad she did!
“Please read and share,” Brodi 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.”
The concerned mom said when she took her son to see his pediatrician he was diagnosed with Influenza B, she couldn’t believe it.
“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.”
Understandably the registered nurse’s post went viral with more than 260,000 people sharing it.
Hives are an immune response that can be triggered by your body fighting a viral infection, and they usually only last for a few days.
While hives 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.
The best time to get a flu shot is by the end of October, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises. It is recommended that everyone over six months gets it, including pregnant women.
Watch the video below to find out how flu spreads. You’ll be shocked at it’s power to infect so quickly.
Please share this story with as many people as possible, it’s so important that we’re all aware of the symptoms so we can be treated faster and don’t forget to get a flu shot!
