- With Mayo Clinic internist
James M. Steckelberg, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
James M. Steckelberg, M.D.
James Steckelberg, M.D.
Dr. James Steckelberg is chairman of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Mayo Clinic, a consultant and a professor of medicine at Mayo Medical School.
A native of Fremont, Neb., Dr. Steckelberg was a Rhodes Scholar and graduated from the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine as a resident in internal medicine and a fellow in infectious diseases, and is board certified in both. He is the former director of the Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory at Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Steckelberg belongs to numerous professional organizations. He is a founding member of the Musculoskeletal Infection Society of America and a fellow with the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. He has served on many Mayo Clinic committees and is a member of the Department of Medicine Leadership Committee and the executive committee of the Division of Infectious Diseases. He also served on the editorial boards of "Mayo Clinic Proceedings" and "Antimicrobial Agents & Chemotherapy" and has been an editorial reviewer for more than a dozen publications.
Dr. Steckelberg's research interests include experimental models of infection, epidemiology of infection, and antimicrobial resistance and therapy of bacterial infections.
Definition (3)
- H1N1 flu (swine flu): How serious is the global threat?
- H1N1 flu (swine flu) pandemic: What does it mean?
- What's the difference between H1N1 flu and influenza A?
Symptoms (2)
- H1N1 flu (swine flu) symptoms: Self-care for the flu
- H1N1 flu (swine flu) symptoms: Is fever always present?
Complications (1)
- H1N1 flu (swine flu) and pregnancy: Are special precautions necessary?
Prevention (5)
- Flu school closing: Any benefit?
- Flu vaccine: Safe for people with egg allergy?
- Flu mask: Should I wear one?
- see all in Prevention
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Question
H1N1 flu (swine flu): Can you catch it twice?
My children are just getting over the swine flu (H1N1), and I may have picked it up. If I get sick, is there a chance the kids will catch swine flu a second time, from me?
Answer
from James M. Steckelberg, M.D.
After being infected with the 2009 swine flu virus, your children can't catch the same virus again — not from you, not from anyone else. All flu viruses are that way. Once you're exposed to a flu virus, your immune system develops antibodies and memory cells unique to that virus. Your body can then defend itself if you're exposed to the virus again. This system of defense is known as acquired immunity. You also acquire immunity to flu viruses when you get a flu shot or take the nasal flu vaccine.
If having the flu or getting vaccinated gives you immunity, why is the 2009 swine flu (H1N1) virus such a problem? And why get a seasonal flu shot every year?
The short answer: Flu viruses rearrange their DNA all the time; it's how they survive. So, while your children are now immune to influenza caused by the 2009 swine flu virus, other flu viruses can still make them sick, as can many noninfluenza viruses, including those that cause colds and pneumonia.
What you're coming down with is most likely an infection with the same virus your kids had, and most flu-like illness these days is caused by the H1N1 virus. But on the off chance that you have a viral infection your children aren't immune to, it's still wise for everyone in your home to wash their hands often and cover their coughs and sneezes. You don't have to isolate yourself from the rest of the family, but give them some distance until you're well again.
Next questionFlu germs: How long can they live outside the body?
- Ertl HCJ. Viral immunology. In: Paul WE, ed. Fundamental Immunology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2003:1102.
- Understanding the immune system: How it works. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/immuneSystem/PDF/theImmuneSystem.pdf. Accessed Oct. 14, 2009.
- FluView: 2009-2010 influenza season. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm#whomap. Accessed Oct. 20, 2009.
