How Long Does It Take To Get The Flu
How long does it take to get the flu?
We have all caught the flu at point or the other, even after taking adequate precaution sometimes. Seeing how it affects everyone, how long does it take to get the flu, makes a very pertinent question. So, when we ask how long does it take to get the flu, the unseen subtext of that is how long after we come in contact with the flu virus are we going to actually get sick. This period between us contracting the virus and actually showing its symptoms is called the “incubation period”.
How long does it take to get the flu? Put in the simplest possible way, the answer is anywhere between 1 to 4 days, and the figures average to 2 days. So, only after almost two days of being handed out the fever by someone else, you would be displaying signs of flu like coughing, high fever, runny nose and body ache. But the answer to the question how long does it take to get the flu cannot be generalized and just like other physical ailments, the time it takes for the flu virus to gain strength can vary from individuals to individuals. So, there are some people who might take only a day while some others might carry the virus for ten days before actually getting sick. This period when a person has the flu virus but is not sick from it but can actively pass it on to other people is called the “infectious period”. For children, the infectious period is longer than in case of adults.
Therefore, we can say that to answer about how long does it take to get the flu, our answers can vary for adults and for children. We contract the virus from doing simple everyday things like shaking hands or from being in the vicinity of a coughing, sneezing person. There are many ways to prevent the flu virus from getting in your system, like washing hands frequently, trying to stay away from sick people as well as taking flu vaccines.
How long does it take to get the flu: this is actively determined by your immune system. Till the immune system in your body keeps fighting the virus tooth and nail, you would just be a passive carrier. And once it gives up, the symptoms of flu would start showing up. Really, there is no one who can be exempt from it unless they take very active and rigorous precautions. Even the recovery time from the flu virus is dependent on your body’s immune system strength. If you are already healthy, you are able to fight it off sooner than an unhealthy person.
So, in conclusion, on an average the flu virus start showing in about one to four days, but this number is dependent on the immune system. Contingent on the health of the individuals, the time taken for flu virus to starting acting up after being introduced in the system can go up to almost fourteen days for some.
