{"id":15993,"date":"2020-10-14T13:00:34","date_gmt":"2020-10-14T17:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=15993"},"modified":"2024-05-28T09:52:38","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T13:52:38","slug":"influenza-a-vs-influenza-b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/influenza-a-vs-influenza-b\/","title":{"rendered":"Influenza A vs. Influenza B: What\u2019s the difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Influenza A vs. B causes<\/a> | Prevalence<\/a> | Symptoms<\/a> | Diagnosis<\/a> | Treatments<\/a> | Risk factors<\/a> | Prevention<\/a> | When to see a doctor<\/a> | FAQs<\/a> | Resources<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

It starts small. You might wake up with an annoying throat tickle and a runny nose, or you might feel a little more groggy throughout the day than usual. But there’s more on the way. You come down with a fever, chills, body aches, and you’re couch-ridden with the <\/span>flu<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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“The flu” has become a broad term that people use to incorrectly describe a wide range of illnesses. We often hear people say “Oh, I came down with the stomach flu last week,” or “The kids got the 24-hour flu.” But <\/span>\u201cflu\u201d<\/span><\/a>\u00a0refers to <\/span>four types of influenza viruses <\/span><\/a>(A, B, C, and D), most prominently influenza A and influenza B.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Influenza A can infect humans and animals. In most cases, it\u2019s associated with <\/span>seasonal<\/span><\/a> epidemics in the United States (a.k.a “<\/span>flu season<\/span><\/a>“) and global pandemics. It’s always changing, so it has various subtypes, including the infamous bird flu (avian influenza) and <\/span>swine flu<\/span><\/a>. On the other hand, influenza B has two subtypes (Victoria and Yamagata), which occur, for the most part, only in humans and mutate slower, so it’s not really a pandemic risk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read on for a complete guide to these two types of flu viruses.<\/span><\/p>\n

Causes<\/span><\/h2>\n

Influenza A<\/span><\/h3>\n

The most <\/span>common form of transmission<\/span><\/a> is through tiny droplets created when an infected person talks, sneezes, coughs, or breathes heavily. Type A is also (albeit very rarely) contracted via contact with an <\/span>infected animal<\/span><\/a>, like a bird or pig. Influenza can also be transmitted through inanimate objects if a sick individual contaminates it, such as a doorknob.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Influenza B<\/span><\/h3>\n

Like influenza A viruses, influenza type B is primarily transmitted through contact with the droplets when an infected individual coughs, sneezes, or talks. Animals aren’t usually susceptible to the influenza B virus, so generally aren\u2019t considered to be carriers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Influenza A vs. B causes<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

Influenza A<\/b><\/td>\nInfluenza B<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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    \n
  • Contact with droplets from an infected individual<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Contact with infected animals (rare)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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