Can You Get the Flu Twice in a Row?

It is possible to get the flu twice in row, though typically when a person gets sick again it is usually from a different strain, according to WebMD. Unlike the “stomach flu,” which is actually not a flu virus, and whose main feature is vomiting and diarrhea, influenza is the bug with symptoms such as headache, fever, body aches and sore throat. There are two types of influenza that circulate each year – types A and B, and the symptoms differ slightly according to the strain of the virus a person catches.

There are many variants of both influenza type A and B. Depending on what is circulating in a season, a person can catch a type A virus first and catch a type B next, or catch yet another version of the influenza type A, according to WebMD. However, having had a particular flu protects the body from catching that specific one again.

Although most flu occurs during the winter, summer infections are possible, according to AL.com. Steps individuals can take to prevent flu include getting vaccinated, practicing frequent hand-washing, sneezing and coughing into one’s own inner-elbow area and staying home and away from other people if infected