Mom shares warning about unexpected flu symptoms most parents have never seen

A wary mother took to social media to share about a surprising symptom that her child had developed, which later turned out to be a case of influenza.

Brodi Willard shared a photograph of her son on her Facebook page, revealing a seemingly harmless case of hives that he had developed on his arm while he was at school.

When her son returned home, he could not stop scratching. But every time he scratched, more hives would appear. Worried, Willard tried everything from changing clothes to giving him a proper bath.

When nothing seemed to work, she quickly called his pediatrician. The doctor then informed her that they had received two other children with the same symptoms earlier that day. She was also informed that both of those children were tested positive for influenza.

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Willard then rushed her son to the pediatrician. After going through several tests, he was diagnosed with influenza B, which left the mother in complete shock because there were no other symptoms that are generally associated with the flu.

‘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 warned other parents through her Facebook post.

Her post has since gone viral on social media with over 250,000 shares and more than 36,000 reactions. But she later told WOWT that she never expected it to happen.

Even more surprisingly, many parents started leaving comments on her post that their child as well had developed hives as a symptom of the flu.

In fact, it turns out that flu is a “symptom” that can be an indicator of many different types of viruses. They appear on our body as an immune response triggered by the body fighting a viral infection.

Meanwhile, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) informed that fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, and fatigue are general symptoms of flu.

Although some people will recover from it within a few days, others may develop complications such as pneumonia due to flu. Some these may even be life-threatening.

CDC has marked 2018 as one of the most dangerous flu seasons in recent times with several reports of widespread flu activity through the US. The source provided that more than 37 children have died from it this year and the number is likely to increase.

Last year, in 2017, another deadly flu, known as ‘Aussie Flu,’ also broke out in Australia, which proved to be much more lethal and stronger than previous strains.