To think this has been the worst year for viruses!?

[Elisabeth3468]

I can't work out if it's because I've got a 3 year old and baby so exposed to more, or that it's just worse this year but it seems constant.
Had second baby in Jan and since then I've had the flu, some other nasty coughing virus and now I feel aches and unwell like I've got something else!
Even kept my little one out of nursery for a few weeks as he was constantly unwell too.
They don't just seem like colds where you can carry on. Every one feels like I need to lie down and just sleep it off. Which is near enough impossible with a newborn and toddler.
anyone else experienced the same?
previous years I get the odd cold (maybe one a year) that isn't even bad. I work in a hospital so exposed to lots of germs but never been as unwell as I have this winter.

I definitely agree and have been thinking the same OP!! Someone in my household has had nasty could, flu type virus or norovirus pretty much constantly since December!!! It’s been draining!! I have 3 kids from 12-18 and no nurseries - schools are the breeding ground! Our schools are expecting 96 percent attendance so making kids go in to school when unwell doesn’t help and no one remembers about the importance of hand washing these days I don’t think!

And of course the teachers are catching it and absent a lot too!!

yes! me, DH and 16 month DS all been coughing since Christmas.It subsides for a few days occasionally in each of us then starts up again. DS had cold/cough virus over christmas and also one a couple of weeks ago but the cough has been persistent regardless. He coughed in his sleep for half the night last night, thankfully he was asleep, but not us 😴

Definitely! I first became ill in early February with a flu type of virus and was ill for most of that month. I’d start to feel better and then I’d feel the symptoms coming back. Now I’m in hospital with pneumonia. I haven’t ever been this ill for this long in my life.

...I mean, 2020 and 2021 were pretty bad for viruses if I recall correctly. Think it was in the news at the time.

Completely agree - I’m generally a healthy person. Don’t get more than a sniffle most years!
But I’ve had norovirus twice since New Year’s Eve 🫠
Was wonderful to see in 2025, sat on the loo, clutching a bin on my lap, vomiting and crapping simultaneously. Spent the next couple of days with a raging temperature, shivering in bed, with the world periodically falling out of my arse 😭
Then repeated the whole cycle all over again at the end of February.
DH got it too, so did DC1 & DC3.
DC2 seems to be some sort of mutant creature, immune to all manner of plague!

Even during Covid, I got it, but it wasn’t anything more than mild flu symptoms.
Id take that a million times over instead of this super norovirus that’s done the rounds in my area this year!

Yep. Since autumn for us. DP actually thinking of going to GP to check he’s not got some kind of long Covid immune problem.

I have been pregnant when immunity is lower so hard to tell for me what’s what; but yes been most Ill of my life this year.

Last respiratory season was worse last year for us but this year isn’t that much better.

Yup same for me. From the middle of January until last week I had four different bugs that all floored me, each lasting around 1-2 weeks with just a couple of normal days in between, but the last one was definitely the worst and lasted more like 3 weeks and even after I was better I still had a rough sounding throat from all the coughing. I do have a crappy immune system at the best of times but even DH who doesn’t have immune system issues caught a couple of the same bugs and was almost the same as me with them.

That sounds awful ! Hope you feel better soon xx

Yes, I was just saying this the other day!
A range of ages here and we have all had one after another it seems. And it’s not the type where you can carry on as normal, you actually feel really shit need to rest.
Feel for you OP, it’s really crap with young kids 💐

Yeah the kids are normally so robust but they’ve both had way more days off than usual. Both have had high fevers lasting at least 5 days, which is so sad for them and stressful for me. Totally fed up of pretending I’m not sick, and trying to work and take care of kids at the same time 😨

I came here to say this 😂

No different to usual in our household

How is everyone holding up?
still going strong with the viruses. Feel terrible my little one (only 3 months) keeps catching stuff off her big brother :(

No viruses in my household, but hay fever has been bad this year.

My sister and cousin have had this virus for three weeks, lots of antibiotics and nothing working. The cough is horrific and sister has a sore chest now with both lungs crackling. Worse than covid ever was they said.

You're definitely not alone—many parents have noticed that this year seems worse than usual for viral bugs, especially with young kids in the mix. After the pandemic years of reduced exposure, immune systems are now being hit with a wave of common (and not-so-common) viruses. Having a toddler in nursery and a newborn means you're in a high-exposure zone, and sleep deprivation doesn’t help recovery. It's exhausting, but unfortunately quite common lately. Hang in there you’re doing great in tough conditions.

Got hay fever but got off lightly with the cold viruses this year. No children in house though

I was thinking the opposite actually. I'm a teacher and spend all day in pretty poorly-ventilated rooms with different groups of 30 kids all day and I think I've had one mild cold since Christmas.