What incubation period does the flu have?

It is unlikely that there will be a person who has never had a flu in his life. Even if you are one of those who never complains about health, knowing about the disease will only help you stay healthy. It is important to know about the disease not only its symptoms or methods of treatment, it is necessary to understand its nature, and to have an idea about the incubation period of the disease. With this kind of information, people are usually not familiar, and do not want to get acquainted because they do not see the point in it. In the article, we will describe in detail the incubation period of influenza.

• The development of the disease during the incubation period
• The incubation period in adults
• Symptoms of influenza in adults
• The incubation period of influenza in children
• How to isolate a sick person at home

First of all, we will understand what the incubation period (IP) of the disease is a time interval that has elapsed since the virus enters the human body before the appearance of the primary symptoms of the disease. The duration of the incubation period is individual for each disease, as well as for each patient. Even for different types of influenza it can be different.

Know! In "ordinary" influenza (H3N2), the IP is on average 2-3 days.

The main difference between the flu and other viral diseases (which are diagnosed as ARVI) is its rapid development, that is, a short incubation period. With ARVI the first symptoms can appear quite quickly, will not be pronounced and will appear gradually.

The development of the disease during the incubation period

When ingested, the influenza virus remains on the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract: nose, nasopharynx, trachea. During PI, viruses practically do not enter the bronchi, but develop on the mucous membrane. If human immunity can not cope, the viruses begin to multiply in a favorable environment for themselves: moist and warm. And while there is a reproduction the person still does not feel any signs of the disease.

After about 24-48 hours after the virus enters the body, it spreads so much that it begins to separate from the body along with the mucus. The subsequent development of the disease is associated with the disintegration of virus-infected cells, which causes a large number of toxins to enter the bloodstream. It is the intoxication of the body that causes the primary symptoms of the flu:

• elevated temperature;
• general malaise;
• sometimes they are added to the pain in the abdomen, nausea, diarrhea.

The most dangerous is the third day of the incubation period, when there are no signs of the disease yet, but mucus with viruses is already allocated. At this time, when sneezing or coughing, particles of mucus enter the air with the viruses contained in them. Therefore, it is difficult to determine if a person is contagious in the first days, but on the third day it becomes a spreader of the virus.

Since the duration of PI is individual for each person, it is impossible to predict how many days a person is contagious. To infect other people the patient can in 1-2 days after the beginning of the PI (on average a day before the appearance of the first symptoms). The patient will cease to be dangerous to others at least a week after the onset of flu symptoms.

The incubation period in adults

The first feature of this period in adults is related to its duration. Since adults are more resistant to diseases than children, the incubation period of influenza can last up to five days on average. Naturally, these terms are individual and directly depend on a person's physical condition and the state of his immune system.

Important! The most debilitated and prone to illness are pregnant and lactating women, elderly people.

If an adult has strong immunity, it is difficult to predict how long the contagious period will last. After the manifestation of the primary symptoms of the disease, the body can cope with the virus on its own. However, do not neglect your health. If you feel unwell and know about the flu epidemic, it's best to refrain from leaving the house. After the body cope with the virus, you will not have the risk of getting a complication.

Symptoms of influenza in adults

It is accepted to distinguish between two categories of symptoms. "Preliminary", that is, appearing during the incubation period. Symptoms of the disease appear later. They say something about the termination of the incubation period of the disease, that is, the flu passes from the latent stage to the active one.

Preliminary symptoms include:

• fast fatigue;
• persistent drowsiness;
• weakness, lethargy, apathy.

Of course, the appearance of these symptoms can serve as a signal for the appearance of many diseases, they can also be caused by chronic fatigue, lack of sleep, stress. The appearance of these symptoms during the epidemic signals the onset of the incubation period of the disease.

The symptoms of the flu in the majority manifest themselves as follows:

• increased body temperature;
• Strong headache;
• muscle pain;
• an ache in joints.

The incubation period of influenza in children

As already mentioned above, children have less resistance to disease. In childhood, IP rarely exceeds three days. The only significant difference in the childhood incubation period is its rapidity. Sometimes the primary symptoms may appear several hours after the virus enters the body. Then the child becomes sluggish, sleepy, his appetite disappears, and he begins to be capricious.

How the disease progresses during PI, we have already described above. In children, this process is no different from an adult person's IP. The infectious child also becomes about the third day after the virus enters the body.

Know! Infectious a child or an adult in the incubation period is not exactly known. Usually the immunity of an adult man copes with viruses better than the child's body.

How to isolate a sick person at home

At the first stage of recovery, the patient needs rest and bed rest. It should continue until the patient returns to normal appetite and temperature does not subside. At the same time, it is most contagious to others. If the patient continues to go to work, he not only increases the duration of treatment and the risk of complications, but also infects others.

It has already been said that the patient is contagious about a week after the discovery of the first signs of the disease. This period depends on the patient's immunity and can vary. The only exact criterion for the patient not to be infected is the disappearance of high temperature. Until then, it is necessary to limit contacts with healthy people as much as possible. As often as possible, ventilate the room in which the patient is. Contact with the patient is necessary in medical masks, which will detain parts of saliva and mucus and prevent the virus from reaching the mucous membranes of the upper airways of healthy people.

Important! During epidemics of influenza, try to appear in public places only in medical masks, which need to be changed every 2-3 hours.

To summarize, we recall that the incubation period of the flu takes place without any visible symptoms of the disease, but the infectious patient becomes approximately one or two days after the virus enters the body. Determine the origin of IP can be by indirect evidence: causeless fatigue and drowsiness, loss of appetite, weakness.