People saying they’ve never had flu?

https://www.passporthealthusa.com/2022/04/can-the-flu-be-asymptomatic/

As I've said over and over and over again, I've taken part in trials and I've had asymptomatic flu. The trial I took part in found a significant number of us had flu with absolutely zero symptoms.

But there's no point me keep saying this or linking to the research because people simply don't listen and repeat the same myths.

I’m mid-fifties and had it once, 29 years ago. It took me a couple of months to recover from it.

I am not convinced by the "you have had flu but not noticed" viewpoint, Official sources do not say this. For example this website makes clear that flu is more severe: ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2025/10/08/do-i-have-flu-covid-19-or-a-cold-know-the-signs-and-symptoms/

In any event, you can argue it the other way - if you spend a week in bed and feel grotty for weeks afterwards, it's highly unlikely to have been a common cold and was probably flu - unless you have existing conditions that make a cold much more serious. There are different levels of colds, but you can usually function fine after a day in bed even if you aren't well enough to go to work etc.

I had the flu once in my twenties.

It completely floored me, I lost most of two weeks worth of memories (just some fragmented ones of blood pouring down the walls and an evil dwarf under the headboard) and woke up in the hospital.

I've had plenty of bad colds with fever/aches etc. but nothing like that again so far, thankfully.

I'm almost 60 and I've never knowingly had flu, but I would say that, wouldn't I? We're all fed this myth that it can't possibly be flu if you can even get out of bed, but there's empirical evidence that you could have antibodies to both swine flu and Covid without ever having had the classic symptoms, so how do I know I haven't had some kind of flu and either had no symptoms at all or symptoms similar to how I experience a cold (which isn't very bad - mostly runny nose)?

All I can say for sure is that I've never had a stereotypical case of flu, and if you don't believe me, there's not much we can do about that.

DH hasn't had flu the whole time I've known him (almost 40 years) but says he had it a couple of times as a kid. My DC might possibly have had it once when they were little. They had the right kind of symptoms and there was a lot of flu around, but the doctor gave them antibiotics for reasons I don't fully understand and wish I had had the presence of mind to ask about at the time.

My mum was one of those (granny with COVID who had no symptoms). But we now think it was a mistake. The test centres were overwhelmed and it's likely there were a lot of errors.

Had it 3 times. Once as a small child, then two winters in a row in my 20s. I had two big dogs, a lab and GSD. I crawled to the back door to let them out and lay there for a while. Then opened the door to let them in. No dogs. Pulled myself to my feet and saw the garden gate was open and they were clearly long gone. Ordinarily this would have been a disaster. My exact thought on that day was...oh...okay then. I crawled back to the sofa.

Turned out that about a mile away lived a policeman who kept two police dogs. A lab and a GSD. The poor man opened his front door to find a neighbour telling him he'd found his dogs wandering and shoved both my dogs into the house where his two very deeply unimpressed dogs were waiting. Utter carnage ensued apparently...

I am in my 70s
I think I have had flu 3 times in my life .
it’s very different from a bad cold , chest infection etc .

@AllPlayedOut
Ooh I'm sorry if I misunderstood this

I'm just so fed up of this can't walk, too unwell to pick up a £50 note etc nonsense that is constantly spouted about flu. And yes, it does work the other way. Look at the frail elderly who tested positive for Covid in the pandemic and had no symptoms. I can remember posts on here about granny being fine with it whilst clean eating fitness bunnies were laid low. Possibly outliers bit still

Ok well i went along with the 'flu cant be mild' theory before so maybe i just get mild versions 🤷‍♀️

Every day is a school day on Mumsnet. Here's one medical journal article supporting what @VikaOlson has said many many times 😄

In this study 8% were asymptomatic, 6% had nonrespiratory symptoms, 23% had acute respiratory symptoms, and 62% had influenza-like illness.
So all those people saying a 'bad cold' definitely isn't flu - it just might be! Only 60% of confirmed infections were 'proper flu'.

Biddle, JE et al (2025) 'Asymptomatic and Mildly Symptomatic Influenza Virus Infections by Season: Case-Ascertained Household Transmission Studies, United States, 2017–2023', The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 232(4), e637–e641. https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiae591

Ive never had it to my knowledge. Ive had some pretty nasty colds that left me in bed, but nothing that that utterly wiped me out in the way people say flu does.

I'm so tired of reading this comment. You're not eligible to get it for free, but it's available in pretty much every pharmacy in the country for around £15-20 - I can't understand why people are apparently wilfully blind to advertising of this. And if you're well aware of that but don't want to pay it, then it's on you if you get it and have a bad time of it.

Proper couldn’t get out of bed flu, once when I was a kid, at Christmas, couldn’t even open my stocking. Really bad, knackered but could stagger downstairs briefly, twice, both post Covid.

I think that she’s making exactly that point by being sarcastic. It’s a response to the people claiming that you’ll definitely know if it’s flu because you literally won’t be able to raise an eyelid and if it’s anything even slightly less severe than that then it can’t possibly be flu.

Havent rtft but isnt the thinking that flu - like covid - can affect people differently and some may be asymptomatic and others will feel extremely unwell, and even hospitalised.....and a whole spectrum in between?
....so those that dont think they've had it might have had a milder or non symptomatic version?

Had it when I was 12. Never since and I'm 54. Never had a flu jab

@VikaOlson
Of course you can get mild Covid.

One could have Covid virus and no symptoms at all. Just like some people infected with the flu virus don't show symptoms.

Just because you were ill with it, doesn't mean everyone was

Never had flu, this year was my first jab.

Different immune systems cope with different things, but also, in flu season I avoid places where I’m likely to catch it. That’s easy to do for me, less easy for others.

Not possible.
I had a covid once and was really, really ill. Therefore, it isn't possible to have a mild form.

I’ve never had proper flu no. I’ve had plenty of heavy colds, sore throats etc but not the other flu symptoms such as aching etc. I travel on the train (busy, south london) every weekday and work in an office. Last time I had a cold was 20 months ago.

Yes, I really did have Covid. Both times confirmed by a test. I completely lost sense of taste and smell on Xmas eve 2020. Went to the local testing centre that afternoon. Took 5 days for test result to come back but I knew I had it. Boris had already announced no mixing at Xmas and we had already cancelled family and were having a low key celebration. I really did cook Xmas dinner, just couldn’t really enjoy it as couldn’t taste it.
I tested positive again in July 2022 while on holiday in Florida, just had a hacking cough that time. Isolated in villa for a few days then carried on with the holiday.

What?
You mean it's possible for a virus to affect people with different levels of severity???

I’m in my early 50’s and I’ve had the flu once in my life, it was awful. I do get the flu jab though.

The NHS could save a fortune of virus testing, just emoloy some MNs to look at people...

The Common cold, influenza and Covid are all viral infections that can cause similar (but not identical symptoms, severe symptoms, mild symptoms or be asymptomatic. The only way of actually telling is virus testing

The reason they all spread so is easily is because people can have mild symptoms.

All anyone can say is if they've had a severe viral infection which meant they were in bed a few days.