Huge surge of flu cases?

[Tulipsandpansies123]

My place of work- a school- has nearly half the staff off and maybe a third of the children off. Is the general consensus that the flu jab has worked or been accurate this year? It seems like a harsh strain..

I had flu jab in October and now am really quite unwell with what I think is flu. Covid test negative. Coughing, chesty, achy for 3/4 days now

People just generally seem to be really ill at the moment. I manage quite a big team and they keep dropping like flies (including myself). We used to all work through colds but they've been so much worse.

I had both the flu and covid jab in October. At New Year I had a virus which kept me in bed for 4 days with a temperature and hot and cold spells and full body aches which is very unusual for me. Tested negative for covid and when I have had covid in the past it did not affect me nearly as badly so I am assuming it was a mildish flu somewhat ameliorated by the vaccine.

It's really bad this year. DH and adult DC have not been able to shake it off.

My DD14 got flu jab on the 19th December and has been unwell since. Cough, could,chesty, flu like symptoms. She now has a kidney infection and is on antibiotics. She is worn out and looks so ill. Prior to this I can't remember the last time she was sick, very robust, healthy child. This was her first time to get flu vaccine. Her school provided and felt pushed into it if I'm honest. Never again.

Could be a mixture of flu and covid (not everyone is testing/keeping ill children at home, and most school children didn't have the vaccine).

It'll be interesting to know what the authorities say, keep us posted.

I've been ill for over a week. Aching joints, sweats etc. Apparently its covid but I never felt this bad the last time I had it. This is knocking lumps out of me.

Covid first and second time was a doddle compared to this. This is something far worse. I reckon they've released something else on us. I'd like to know if it's hitting other countries.

If you're able to post on Mumsnet it really isn't influenza.

So chest infections?
Not influenza then?

Sanity at last!!

Illness is normal in the winter.

Every cold is not flu

With flu you are immobile, bedridden.

If you're able to post on Mumsnet it really isn't influenza.

False. I have no idea why people persist with this lazy shit.

You can have asymptomatic influenza, or you can have a mild bout of flu, as well as severe flu (where you couldn't get out of bed to get a thousand pounds in your garden bla bla repeat ad nauseam) and all variations in between.

With flu you are immobile, bedridden.

Nope. Not always.

People who are hard of thinking seem to seize this soundbite and hang on for dear life.

Including doctors. A colleague whose husband is a GP (so she got it from him) said it to me last week.

I believe I had flu though.

My 11 year old started with a cough on Boxing Day which turned into a chest infection 4 days later (4 days of fever). We’ve needed two courses of antibiotics to shift it and he still has the cough now, although much better. Not flu I don’t think but a brutal virus. DH now has the cough too and my older son had it for 3 weeks although no chest infection for either of them.

My 11 year old though - sheesh! Covid in September (we all did), then a cold a couple of weeks after that, then this all in 4 months. It’s like when he was 5!

Sometimes it did though. I post this on lots of threads when people seem to think everything is due to covid. (Because if its bad/ lasting long/ weird it must be covid even if you've had 100 negative tests. Or even if it's another virus its due to having covid on the past.)
But honestly back in 2018 people were complaining about the worst ever virus. It was lasting 5+ weeks. If you just Google worst/ terrible virus mumsnet you'll find plenty of threads pre 2020 with people complaining about exactly the same things as they are now.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/general_health/3452154-Horrible-virus-that-wont-go-away

(@gamerchick I didn't mean this ranting whole thing in reply to just you. It was only the bit about things not lasting this long in the past. Sorry.)

People who say you can’t type on your phone when you have the flu are very incorrect unfortunately. I had flu and Covid together last year over Xmas and new year and was in and out of hospital on tamiflu and fluids and could still use my phone. Was I wiped out yes but I could still use my fingers!

Lots of people say they have ‘flu, when they actually have a cold. Colds are vile, but there’s a world of difference.

I think my son (away at University and utterly panicked at how ill he feels ) has flu. Everything hurts and he cannot stop coughing, cannot sleep, doesn't know what to do. I'm feeling helpless. He says he feels helpless too. Probably flu, poor guy all alone and worried about missing his course and thinking he's got something horribly wrong with him.

There are too many ghastly illnesses going around this winter. I actually do think it's worse than other years ... I have had 5 serious viral infections since September, never been as ill as often.