{"id":13094,"date":"2020-07-22T09:00:32","date_gmt":"2020-07-22T13:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=13094"},"modified":"2024-05-22T13:46:19","modified_gmt":"2024-05-22T17:46:19","slug":"summer-flu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/summer-flu\/","title":{"rendered":"Is it a summer flu…or something else?"},"content":{"rendered":"

You felt fine yesterday, but today you woke up with a fever, sore throat, and body aches. Your first thought might be COVID-19, but these are similar symptoms of seasonal influenza. The only problem is that it\u2019s the middle of June\u2014not exactly prime<\/span> flu season<\/span><\/a>. Can it still be the flu, or is it more likely to be something else?<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Depressing newsflash: Even though it\u2019s unlikely, you <\/span>can <\/span><\/i>get the flu in the summer months. Here\u2019s what you need to know about catching influenza during the off-season, what other illnesses could be to blame for your summertime sniffles, and how to tell the difference between warm-weather ailments.<\/span><\/p>\n

Can you get the flu in the summer?<\/span><\/h2>\n

In the northern hemisphere, a typical flu season begins in October and lasts through May, peaking between December and February. But the flu strains that circulate every year don\u2019t disappear between June and September, says <\/span>Andres Romero, MD<\/span><\/a>, infectious disease specialist at <\/span>Providence Saint John\u2019s Health Center<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s less common [to get the flu in summer] because influenza is a cyclical virus, but it doesn\u2019t go away completely,\u201d Dr. Romero explains.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Traditionally,\u00a0 less people get sick with the flu in the warmer months, so the influenza virus doesn\u2019t have the same opportunity to spread as it does in the fall and winter. That\u2019s because as people start spending more time indoors, respiratory viruses more easily spread from person to person. Additionally, it\u2019s believed the influenza virus thrives in cold, dry environments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In summer of 2019, about<\/span> 1,700 people tested positive<\/span><\/a> for influenza A and B in the United States between May 19 and September 28, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the <\/span>2020-2021 flu season<\/span><\/a>, instances of the flu were low, possibly due to COVID-19 mitigation measures like wearing masks, staying home, and social distancing. But recently, the seasonality of many common viruses, including influenza, has become <\/span>less reliable<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>Flu cases are higher than normal<\/span><\/a> in early fall 2022, with experts predicting a rough flu season ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n

Flu-like illnesses<\/span><\/h2>\n

Although a random flu strain could be to blame for your misery, it\u2019s much more likely that your flu-like symptoms are the result of another kind of virus. Some common viruses that circulate in the summer are:<\/span><\/p>\n