People saying they’ve never had flu?

[Cumbrianlassie]

I find this incredibly strange. I’ve had flu several times in my life and I’m 36, I mean the ‘proper’ flu - body aches, fever, skin pain, headache, cough, no appetite, fatigue for several weeks and weakness.

I had it in January, as did my DS and DP.
Havent had this new strain yet but feels inevitable!

Are some people just immune?

I’ve never had flu 🤷‍♀️ people are always calling a normal cold ‘flu’. Think it’s way more common for people to do that than actually have flu.

I am mid 60s and have only had it once. In my 40s.

I have had plenty of really bad colds though.

I had it once as an adult about 15 years ago. You never forgot it once you've had it .

I'm 55 and have never had flu. First bout of Covid knocked me sideways for about 4 weeks and I was horribly unwell with glandular fever in my late teens that I was off work for about 6 weeks with.

It comes on very quickly, mine came on on one of those coaches coming home from the south of France, I can still remember it now, it was horrible, I think the travelling made it worse

I'm 52 only had flu once, 31 years ago.
I've only had the flu jab twice.

The year I got flu and in 2013 as I was pregnant.

To the best of my knowledge I’ve never had flu (mid 40s).

I do get absolute bastards of a cold around once a year where I have to take a day or two off work because I just feel too ill to do much, but I never get a temperature or body aches with those so think it’s unlikely those are flu.

Im 54 and have never had it and for 20+ yrs I've worked in schools with young children (before they were given the flu nasal spray). The only person I know thats had it is my order sister and she was totally bedridden.

The only 'illness' that has floored me was when I was 15 and had glandular fever. Properly ill and bedridden for nearly a month and weak for several months !

I’m 40 and only had it once as a child.

I'm 60 and never had it and have kids and young DGC, work in office, go to gym regularly etc. I only had covid once too but had zero symptoms whereas my daughter was really poorly with it. Not complaining!!

How on earth can you know if you've just got a cold or flu though? Presumably you're not testing every time you're ill 🤔

I’m 60.

have had flu twice, I make sure I get jabbed now.

I got the flu for the first time this year and I’m 37

They just mean they've never been seriously ill with flu.

I'd assume most people have had a flu infection at least once, but it is often mild or symptomless.

There's a 'flu camp' where people get paid to be given flu at a facility. Some get it bad, some it's just a cold, some are completely symptomless. Like my other virus, our bodies react in different ways.

I’m 52 and have had it once when I was around 17. I’m lucky that I rarely seem to get colds & haven’t had a bad cold anywhere near as rubbish as flu.
I’ve tied to get the flu vaccine still as I don’t fancy getting the awful strain going round but apppintments have been cancelled due to stock issues. Hopefully what they do have is being allocated to vulnerable people (I was going to pay for it).

I'm 75, I had flu twice in my life. I've had the flu jab since I was in my 50s.

My adult child, the fittest person I've ever met, has had it once, and they are 55.

in my experience, flu is super quick on arriving. One minute I felt ok, the next I felt so very ill.

the flu jab is the only help. The year my adult child got it, I caught a chest infection from them. I reckon that because of had the vaccination, it wasn't worse than that. Vaccination is the only way to go, even if it only means it makes the infection a little bit weaker.

I’ve never had it, have had a mild cold. I’ve had covid 3 times so I’m not someone who’s immune to everything. I don’t get sick much at all in general. I’m in my 50’s and in a job where I mix with a lot of people.

How often are people being tested for flu?
I assumed you would only be tested if you were hospitalised.

Im 57 an have had it twice.I only know because I ended up in hospital as it triggered an asthma attack and I tested positive for flu a. No symptoms except a runny nose and bad headache.No fatigue or aches and pains. Always vaccinated but apart from the asthma I felt quite well.

I’ve had it once, nearly 30 years ago. DH has only had proper flu once too.

I’m late 50s and have had flu twice, Covid once (in late December 2019).

Only genuinely had it once as a child. Raging fever. Body aches. Hallucinating. My mother had to carry me downstairs and to the loo and I could only eat thin soup from a cup. I remember feebly brushing my teeth from a cup on the sofa and wishing for death.
since then bad colds yes but nothing like that.

Interestingly, I had glandular fever as a 9 year old and was very ill for two weeks. I wonder if there's any connection between GF as a child, and never having flu?

I had in once and it put me in hospital with pneumonia. Early 40’s but asthmatic and yes I have the jabs.