If you have been exposed to someone with the flu, you may be concerned about catching it. You may also wonder how long it takes to get sick after you have been exposed and how long you are contagious when you have it. The typical flu incubation period—the time between exposure and the start of symptoms—is between 24 hours and four days, with the average being two days. This means that if you are exposed to the influenza virus and become infected, you will start to experience flu symptoms , such as fever and body aches , anywhere between 24 hours and four days after the exposure.
Another factor that contributes to how the flu spreads is when exactly you may be contagious. Unlike many common illnesses that are only contagious when you're experiencing symptoms, the flu can be contagious 24 hours before your symptoms appear, so you're likely out there spreading the virus before you ever know that you have it.
Add that to the number of people who try to push through their symptoms and expose others to their germs when they are sick, and it's easy to see why the flu affects so many people each year.
After symptoms start, adults can spread the virus for five to 10 days. Adults are most contagious with the flu from 24 hours before symptoms start to three to five days afterward. Children can spread the virus for longer—up to 10 days, and sometimes even beyond that. People who have serious immune system problems can spread influenza for weeks, or even months, after they get it.
Flu symptoms generally don't come on gradually. More often, people describe the onset of the flu as if they were "hit by a truck. The flu is definitely not just a bad cold—it is something else entirely. During the cold winter months, the flu spreads rapidly.
We know that it is highly contagious and can be spread before you even have symptoms. But do you know how it is spread and passed from person to person so easily? Contrary to popular belief, it's not due to cold weather. Although the cold, dry air may mean the virus moves and infects people more easily, it does not actually cause the illness. It's also not really spread through the air the way many people think it is. This can happen in two ways. The length of time you're infectious for after having a viral infection depends on the type of virus involved.
The length of time that bronchitis is infectious varies, depending on its cause. In most cases, bronchitis is caused by the same viruses that cause the common cold or flu, and you're likely to be infectious as long as you have cold or flu symptoms. Chickenpox is infectious from 2 days before the spots appear to until they have crusted over, usually 5 days after they first appeared.
The common cold is infectious from a few days before your symptoms appear until all of the symptoms are gone. Most people will be infectious for around 2 weeks. Symptoms are usually worse during the first 2 to 3 days, and this is when you're most likely to spread the virus. Flu is usually most infectious from the day your symptoms start and for a further 3 to 7 days. Glandular fever isn't particularly contagious and can usually only be spread through direct contact with saliva, which is why it's sometimes called "the kissing disease".
Around 2 to 4 days later, a red-brown spotty rash develops that normally fades after about a week. While the general incubation period for the flu is usually between one and four days, this period can vary from person to person. The average incubation period for the flu is two days. This means that, on average, people start to develop flu symptoms about two days after coming into contact with the influenza virus.
Once you have the influenza virus, you can spread it to other people about a day before you first notice symptoms. Remember, the average incubation period for the flu is about two days.
So, if you come into contact with virus on Saturday morning, you can potentially start spreading it to others by Sunday evening. Viral shedding refers to the release of the virus from your body into your surrounding environment. It tends to peak during your first day experiencing symptoms. Children, older adults, and those with a weakened immune system may be contagious for a longer period of time. Unlike the symptoms of the common cold , which develop gradually, the symptoms of the flu often come on suddenly.
Symptoms of the flu typically last anywhere from three to seven days , thought you might feel lingering fatigue or weakness for up to two weeks. Influenza, aka the flu, is a contagious respiratory infection caused by several flu viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases NIAID. 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.
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