Recently, popular TV Actress and social media influencer Debina Bonnerjee, along with her daughters and actor-husband Gurmeet Choudhary, celebrated Valentin’s day in Sri Lanka. On her return from the trip, she was diagnosed with Influenza B.
On Tuesday, the Ramayana actress took to her Instagram story and shared a short clip of her newborn daughter lying down, with her face hidden, and wrote, “When mamma bear is still unwell, baby bear is busy watching parents." She further posted a picture of her test results and wrote, “So, got Influenza B virus. Well, hang on mamma. Staying away from babies now. Motherhood is anything but easy. Symptom: fever and cough."
But what exactly is this Influenza B?
Influenza is also known as ‘the flu’ is a respiratory illness that affects lungs, throat, and nose. It is very common during the fall and winter months. It is a viral infection that typically spreads through respiratory droplets when the infected person sneezes or coughs.
There are four types of influenza virus: influenza A, B, C, and D.
Influenza B is typically only found in humans and the common symptoms are, fever, chills, sore throat, coughing, runny nose and sneezing, fatigue, muscle aches and body aches.
In rare cases, the flu may cause vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pains. These symptoms are more common in children.
Treating Type B Influenza
In most people, the flu goes away on its own, within 2 weeks. While recovering, the person should take plenty of sleep and stay at home. The infected person is advised to drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration and should avoid contact with other people. Several over-the-counter medications can help ease the symptoms of influenza.
In severe cases, a doctor may prescribe a course of antiviral drugs. Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) are drugs that doctors may use to treat type A or type B influenza.
However, those who are at high risk for flu complications should seek medical treatment immediately.