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AIBU?

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Original poster

Fed up of hearing about the flu

556 replies

SpoonBaloon · 11/12/2025 16:46

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.

OP posts:
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8
Bouliegirl · 11/12/2025 23:04

Grapewrath · 11/12/2025 17:23

They are very clearly pushing the vaccine. Make of that what you will.Interesting that most kids have the spray to protect others yet cases are soaring.
im personally just avoiding the news and getting on with my life.

Edited

What do you mean, “make of that what you will”? Can you explain

ifitsallthesametoyouilltakethesoup · 11/12/2025 23:16

TempestTost · 11/12/2025 22:51

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.

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Well... there are lots of small things we could have been doing to at least get covid less often and more mildly.

It might have been better for everyone's health if the government had still stopped all the restrictions, but had kept suggesting people be careful, ventilate rooms well and so on. We're all adults, we could have coped with that.

GlomOfNit · 11/12/2025 23:17

I'm kicking myself because I got so far along with booking DH and DS1 (who misses the flu spray at school by one year!) for jabs in a local Boots, several weeks ago now. I let it slide (and DH wasn't at all proactive in booking himself in though he agreed it was a good idea). That was back when news reports were already stating that the flu season was starting really early and looked nasty.

Off the back of this evening's news, I went back to the bookings and after a few tries with closer branches that didn't have anything until late January/Feb, I got them a joint appointment fairly close to us for NY day! Yay, Happy New Year, streamers, etc! Grin

(I got one weeks ago as I'm DS2's official carer. Unfortunately, DS2 refused the spray at school ...)

If you can get one, take it. I've had flu as a healthy young students and it laid me low for weeks. I knew someone who died from a strain of bird flu a couple of decades ago. I'm now older than she was then.

ShoveYourMaskUpYourArse · 11/12/2025 23:19

Lilifer · 11/12/2025 19:57

What I would like to know is why are so many kids sick with it? I was a kid and teen in 70s and 80s, and there was no mass absences from school cos of flu. Kids were off now and again for measles etc and the odd bad cold, never more than one or two in wonder months. Why are so many kids sick these days??

When they’ve been vaccinated against it as well. It’s a real head scratcher…

Tiswa · 11/12/2025 23:27

The problem is the vaccination schedule - DS got vaccinated today. Today when he told me he finally was feeling 100% recovered from the flu that took him out of school for 8 days!

it hit before the vaccinations were given

and it is contagious it is the first time that all 6 of us (me DH 2 kids and my parents) all were ill with the same thing (various levels of seriousness but still all ill) and that includes COVID and the number of friends who have it is also the highest I have seen it.

MollyMollyMandy33 · 11/12/2025 23:27

howtoprotect · 11/12/2025 16:57

I’m sceptical to be honest. Everywhere I go everyone seems to be coughing, apparently this strain of flu isn’t completely covered by the vaccine and it can also have other symptoms such as GI issues . I think it’s just Covid and we are being misled (not sure why as I don’t think one is worse than the other)

It’s really not just Covid, it’s early surge in a particularly clinically bad flu, which started with a mutated virus last summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Plus seasonal respiratory virus, colds and norovirus, all of which peak in the winter.
A&Es are seeing a large amount of people with flu. They can use rapid tests to distinguish between covid and flu on admission.

Thechaseison71 · 11/12/2025 23:32

itsthetea · 11/12/2025 17:09

People do need to have it pointed out though

many people will spread germs because they don’t feel too bad and they don’t want to miss out

many people will skip the jag because it’s inconvenient

its not about you - it’s about the idiots going to a and e with a coldsore Rather than the pharmacy

annoying yes but necessary also

If you genuinely have flu you feel awful. I've had it twice in my life and could barely drag myself out of bed to go to the loo

Crispynoodle · 11/12/2025 23:33

Having the flu vaccine every year has been the best ever thing for my health I don’t even get a sniffle

MollyMollyMandy33 · 11/12/2025 23:34

ShoveYourMaskUpYourArse · 11/12/2025 23:19

When they’ve been vaccinated against it as well. It’s a real head scratcher…

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The content of the fly vaccine is decided on months before the flu season, based on what is thought to be most likely virus to be problematic. The effectiveness varies year to year, as flu virus’s may mutate, meaning that the vaccine is more or less effective. Due to the known mutation, this year isn’t a good match for the main circulating strains, BUT it is still likely that the jab offer protection against severe illness. If jabbed people do get it, it is likely to be a milder illness.
The other factor is the reproduction or ‘R’ number of the particular virus. This years is unusually high, which means that it is more easily spread and more people are likely to get it.

GentleSheep · 11/12/2025 23:35

ShoveYourMaskUpYourArse · 11/12/2025 23:19

When they’ve been vaccinated against it as well. It’s a real head scratcher…

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The variants of the influenza virus given in the vaccine need to match fairly well with the actual variants circulating and infecting people at the moment. The flu virus mutates frequently and this year's H3N2 has drifted a fair bit from the vaccine version (it's the 'K' variant apparently), so it isn't protecting as well as it could do. Nothing to scratch your head about there!

Edited for clarity.

OneMintWasp · 11/12/2025 23:37

howtoprotect · 11/12/2025 17:02

I’ve read in various places that this strain has mutated and although the vaccine offers some protection it’s not as good as it could be ? I can’t remember where but I’ve read this in a few places

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Yep, the flu virus typically mutates so rapidly that its very difficult to predict patterns and cover all strains each year. The WHO monitors it globally and uses this to predict predominant strains to protect against each season but it is really a very educated best guess. Sometimes its accurate and so the govt develops vaccines which protect against the correct strains. Sometimes in the time that the vaccine has been produced the virus circulating have mutated or a strain which wasnt a threat becomes the predominent one and then the vaccine is less effective as its not designed to cover that strain. Its usually between 40 - 60% effective at the best of times but this year it's as low as 30% in adults.

KeepPumping · 11/12/2025 23:48

bleakmidwintering · 11/12/2025 17:11

It’s significantly different from previous outbreaks. Earlier and more cases requiring hospitalisation. This is newsworthy I think.

I remember having swine flu a number of years ago and thinking that if I didn"t get up and go outside for exercise and try to drink and eat something it was going to overwhelm me, that was really bad you just couldn"t stand up, the Covid I had was like a mild cold in comparison and this latest thing which has been affecting people most of the year in my opinion is nowhere near swine flu if you are active and healthy, but there wasn"t the distance/mask/panic/get jabs etc.etc. mantra going on during the swine flu outbreak, was there?
There were serious outbreaks of "Asian Flu" in the 1950"s and 1960"s, people seemed to just carry on as normal, Woodstock happened during the 1960"s outbreak I think, one theory I heard was that because Vietnam was ongoing by the late 60"s and shocking images were all over TV people just didn"t fear things that could hurt them the way people seem to now, because after all they could be in a much worse situation than picking up a virus?

MrsBennetsPoorNervesAreBack · 11/12/2025 23:51

Bizarrely, despite the availability of a very safe and affordable vaccine, not to mention the very recent memory of a pandemic that shut down the entire country, the vaccine take-up rate is actually very low.

We offer free flu vaccine vouchers to staff at work. Take up is below 20%. Of course, some of the 80% who didn't bother will have been eligible to get the vaccine on the NHS, but I suspect that the majority are just unvaccinated.

Amongst the unvaccinated, there will be a tiny percentage who can't be vaccinated because of allergies or whatever. They have to rely on herd immunity to keep them safe, and will be at greater risk as the result of the low take up. Nothing they can do, unfortunately.

Then there will probably be a proportion of tin-hat-wearing anti-vaxers. They are a lost cause so not much you can do about them either.

The rest - probably the majority - are the people who just haven't bothered, either because they haven't got round to it or because don't consider it to be that important. A high proportion of these may have never experienced real flu and may not realise how horribly ill it could make them. The heavy news coverage is probably aimed at that cohort to encourage at least some of them to go and get the jab.

MannersAreAll · 11/12/2025 23:52

If you genuinely have flu you feel awful. I've had it twice in my life and could barely drag myself out of bed to go to the loo

This absolutely isn't always the case.

My 8yo is in hospital at the moment due to complications of a long term health issue.

All of us were tested for Covid and flu due to this. I tested positive for flu - I feel a bit shit, but absolutely not "you can't pick a £100 note up off the floor if you have flu" ill. My other child tested positive and is well.

People being asymptomatic or seeming like they have a mild cold can absolutely have flu.

That's one of the reasons flu spreads so well, not everyone feels dire - if everyone instantly was seriously unwell and took to their bed it would spread much less.

Ophir · 11/12/2025 23:57

ByronKoala · 11/12/2025 22:17

The big issue is that the vaccine isn’t particularly effective this year due to it being a mutated strain.

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But they’re still pushing it?

It’s well worth getting, in my opinion

TheOchreRaven · 12/12/2025 00:01

Good explanation about the strain types and why the vaccines are not so effective this year www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/flu-h3n2-symptoms-new-strain-vaccine-jab-b2882402.html

Didimum · 12/12/2025 00:04

FishersGate · 11/12/2025 16:59

Where is the evidence that it isnt covered hy the vaccine? The daily fail

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So many flu strains are not covered by the annual vaccine. That is well known and it’s nothing new. Yes, it’s worth getting, but it’s not significantly effective on any given year.

researchers3 · 12/12/2025 00:04

Pigeonsandgiraffees · 11/12/2025 17:23

Yes, one of the flu strains this year has mutated since this year's vaccines were created. It mutated over the Summer. HOWEVER, it is still absolutely worth getting the flu vaccine. It will still offer some protection: it still reduces the likelihood of very serious illness, and it reduces the chances of added complications and the need for hospitalisation should you come into contact with it. The flu strains from year to year are different.

This year's flu vaccine was made early in 2025. The World Health Organisation has the tricky task of trying to figure out which variations of the flu the populations need protection from, and then the vaccine has to be created, tested, and all before it's distributed in time for Winter.

Flu vaccines NEVER guarantee that any recipient will have 100% protection. The goal is to reduce the severity of illness, reduce the duration of illness, and in doing so, this in turn also helps reduce the spread.

Flu can also be asymptomatic in some people, and also present to varying degrees of mildness in others, leading folks to think that they actually just have a cold virus.

Although a flu virus can be mild in one person, the next person whom they pass it on to could end up in a catastrophic situation, particularly if they have a compromised immune system, or unfortunately, in some cases, otherwise healthy people are just very, very unlucky.

It takes up to 14 days for the flu vaccine to become as effective as it ever will be in the human body. If you get a vaccine and feel ill shortly after, it is likely you had already contracted the flu virus before the vaccine.

In short, it is absolutely worth getting the flu vaccine to give yourself and everyone you come into contact with the best chance of being as well as you could possibly be, should you come into contact with one of the flu strains.

Edited
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Great post.

DetectiveDouche · 12/12/2025 00:09

FishersGate · 11/12/2025 16:59

Where is the evidence that it isnt covered hy the vaccine? The daily fail

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Pharmacist who vaccinated me today told me it's true. It's because the vaccines are created 6 months + in advance of the flu season so they have guess which one will be the most virulent virus. The current "superflu" strain does not have a vaccine but it makes sense to be as careful as possible and vaccinate against the strain that you can protect yourself from

LoveItaly · 12/12/2025 00:11

Anyahyacinth · 11/12/2025 18:31

Magical staff that can suddenly appear or not get sick ??? 🤦‍♀️

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The NHS is the world’s 7th largest employer, with 1.38 million staff. What are they all doing is the question we should be asking, and why is the organisation so huge and yet so inefficient, for what is not an enormous population.

It’s an utter shambles and a national disgrace, and needs completely overhauling. They have many brilliant and hard working medical staff, but something is badly wrong with the organisation.

Studyunder · 12/12/2025 00:13

Selfish much?

KeepPumping · 12/12/2025 00:18

LoveItaly · 12/12/2025 00:11

The NHS is the world’s 7th largest employer, with 1.38 million staff. What are they all doing is the question we should be asking, and why is the organisation so huge and yet so inefficient, for what is not an enormous population.

It’s an utter shambles and a national disgrace, and needs completely overhauling. They have many brilliant and hard working medical staff, but something is badly wrong with the organisation.

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Too many agency staff being paid bumper rates and too many managers.

What are the world`s six biggest employers BTW?

LoveItaly · 12/12/2025 00:23

KeepPumping · 12/12/2025 00:18

Too many agency staff being paid bumper rates and too many managers.

What are the world`s six biggest employers BTW?

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Indian MoD 2.99m
US DoD 2.93m
Chinese PLA 2.55m
Walmart 2.3m
Amazon 1.61m
PetroChina1.45m

So the first three are defence, something that successive UK governments have been happily underfunding. What a mess this country is in.

PumpkinHedgehog · 12/12/2025 00:25

I’ve been ill for three days and one weird symptom is what feels like someone occasionally sticking a pin into my arm. I had the flu jab in early October, no side effects, and have just realised that the pin sensation is where the flu jab was.

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