Fed up of hearing about the flu

[SpoonBaloon]

I know I’m being unreasonable but am I the only one who’s getting wound up by the constant coverage of the flu on every national news outlet?

It is December. Of course the flu is going around! Every winter we hear about the NHS being overwhelmed.

I can accept minor coverage but it’s been the main story for days on end and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to stop! And I know the flu kills and people need to be aware to take precautions but surely people don’t need it to be pointed out to them that they have an increased chance of catching the cold or flu in the run up to Christmas?

I was deathly ill with it last year but luckily have managed to avoid it up to now.

It’s on the news and in the media precisely because people like you don’t take it seriously and you should.

Cool story that you had flu last year but have avoided it this year. Now you’re a virologist, right? That’s how it works these days, yeah?

I hope you feel better soon. Are you in England? I am in Wales and I don't think it has quite hit us as badly yet, but am guessing it will.

On the positive side it gives another diagnosis for every cough and sneeze other than Long Covid! We may even come to miss Covid or maybe the virulence could be from lingering Covid, one for the conspiracy fans.
Seriously though, hope we can all stay well, I'm not trying to talk it down.

I had flu for 6 weeks when I was in my 20s, young and healthy, this was years ago, its not that unusual for young people to get flu.

It is not blaming the public, it's pointing out some relevant actions that people can take.

Yes, young & healthy people do get flu but not typically in the levels that we are seeing at the moment. Entire schools having to close is unprecedented.

I’m in NI - it seems to have really hit us this week…!

We're in Wales not badly hit yet.

and apparently the mild damp weather is one of the reasons it is so rife because the cold can kill the virus, but please don't quote me, it was just something i heard or read

I’m very anxious about getting flu as I’ve recently finished cancer treatment . Due to my 15 year old being the one that usually brings an awful bug home just before Christmas 🙈 mind you I went away with my 24 year old to London rwo weeks ago he fell ill in the car on the way home with vomiting .. I assumed a sickness bug but he then spent a week in bed , with more flu like symptoms said his head as pounding and he ached all over so did sound more like flu ..I didn’t get what ever it was ..
flu should always be taken seriously .. my dads best friend at school a healthy 12 year old back in the fifties died of flu and I fell ill with it Christmas 2005 at 33 , no health problems and I ended up in hospital with pneumonia .
my hospital is one of the ones that’s been on the news and has allegedly reintroduced face masks , I had to go to a hospital appointment today and saw barely anyone with a mask on

I don’t know anyone who has the flu where I am in North London. Or even in my bit of the NHS. I wonder when it will head our way. I do think part of the reporting is to discourage the doctors strike. And I have to say, I think that the strike can’t go ahead now.

Oh dear...

It doesn’t help so many people are anti vaccine now. Just look at the comments on social media under any NHS posts or flu articles

It’s not THE flu. It’s just flu.

It isn’t THE diabetes, or THE arthritis or THE cancer.

I’m fed up of hearing about THE flu too.

I always have my flu vaccine every year (NHS worker, healthy mid thirties) and I've currently got what feels like a chest infection plus GI issues and I'm fucking exhausted and headachey. I've had the week off work and it's not getting any better!
I have noticed this is much worse than the usual colds that go around, half my work team have been off with it, loads of my patients have been cancelling, it does seem pretty rife. My friend works in a school and told me they are at 50% staffing!!
I do wonder if it's a strain of covid - it's the first year (I think) that I haven't had the COVID booster as part of the NHS worker vaccines. Either way, it's definitely hitting hard. I didn't know it had been in the news and it's actually reassuring to hear it's not just me and it's actually a particularly nasty strain! Can't imagine how more vulnerable people are managing if they catch it. I've been in bed for days and I don't even have a fever. Usually I'm a paracetamol up and get on with it kind of person too, but I really can't!

Sorry to possibly derail the thread but does it seem demographic as in places hit badly? As in we are sw, lots of people having a very mild flu type bug as in no temperature just a bit off, cough, tired and lack of appetite for about 3 days? Nurse said staff off but all with different symptoms but only for a couple of days, schools all fine, hospitals running as usual. We are still getting alot of tourists so thought we would have been hit by now? Perhaps we are just getting the tail end of the bugs? 🤷

No government is doing anything other than giving it free rein because there isn't any way to contain it. Any more than you could contain the common cold.

It’s far worse this year than it has been for a long time. That’s news.

I’ve been trying to book a jab for 3 weeks, ever increasing circle of pharmacies up to 50 miles from home now and can’t find one. My disabled husband has had his but if I become ill with it and can’t look after him, that’s a problem,

The issue is, with A&E departments in the state that they are, this epidemic is going to make the situation even worse. Throw the strike into the mix and it could be disastrous.

Something else to bear in mind: I think most people believe that older people are most at risk. Flu is awful for children too. If your child is offered a jab at school, please take it. It’s not a jab, it’s drops, not at all painful.

Wtf! 🤦‍♀️

You can’t argue with stupid.

Funny how they are not covering cuts to the vaccination programme earlier in the year. Yes that’s right, fewer people now elegible for the free vaccine.

It's the most expensive month of the year and we're in a cost of living crisis.
£20 is a lot of money for some people, and they're the ones most likely to be on zero hour contracts or vulnerable.

If you've been offered it for free on the NHS I highly recommend getting it though.

Covid vaccine too. My husband qualifies. I did too a couple of years ago because if I became ill, he’d be in trouble. I don’t now because I’m 6 years younger than he is.
It’s very shortsighted.

Unfortunately following on from the Covid pandemic this flu has wound quite a lot of people up the wrong way. I was on a YT channel that shall remain nameless today and they were talking about the flu as if it was some kind of government plot to put us all in lockdown, make us comply and wear masks again, followed by a lot of absolute scientific rubbish about the influenza virus that made no sense. Loads of people in the comments made all sorts of totally crazy assertions and some called themselves 'pure bloods' (horrible term), saying all jabs are bad, they'd never get another, the government is trying to kill us, etc. You get the picture. They've no concept of people actually getting sick and dying or seriously ill with the flu, especially children. They think their own immune system can deal with anything an everything thrown at it by simply 'eating healthily' despite plenty of evidence thoughout history to the contrary. It's mind-boggling!

How does this work in your mind, given that vaccines work by exposing your immune system to viruses? If that wasn't how it worked, vaccines would not work.

There are downsides associated with lack of exposure to germs, notably allergies, and also leukaemia. But there are tons of viruses with no vaccines - flue, covid, rsv are only a few of many.