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Adults only catch the flu about twice every 10 years, according to a new study. The researchers looked at antibody levels in 150 people from Southern China against nine influenza strains from 1968 to 2009.

They found that while children get flu on average every other year, infections become less frequent as people get older. Adults over age 30 then get infected about twice per decade.

Original research paper published in PLOS Biology on March 3, 2015.

Names and affiliations of selected authors

Adam J. Kucharski, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom