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.

For goodness sake. Whatever it is you want, be it lockdown, then do feel free to lock yourself away from active society and mask up. You won't be judged.

I thought that. He looked like a pillock, asking people questions about how busy they were! I don't think they'll try to lock us down again, though. There'd be riots.

I read some stuff on the BBC, and got two messages from local healthcare settings asking people to mask if they had symptoms. It encouraged me to get a flu jab for the first time ever.

This is not the same as last year. If you actually paid attention to what is being said, you’d know that.

He didn’t leave bed he was found with hypothermia and rushed to hospital.

Even in healthy people, flu can lead to sepsis. Flu can cause secondary infections such as pneumonia which can then lead to sepsis. A bad bout of flu, even in an otherwise healthy individual with no comorbidities, can cause a catastrophic outcome as it can put immense strain on the immune system.

One of my friends has a lung condtion, flu would be very serious for her, she is slender. Maybe just focus on the fact that a lot of people have health conditons that mean flu is very serious for them rather than honing in on one factor

Nobody is going to do lockdown again.
I do feel that there would be a riot if anyone suggested this. I feel sorry for the staff in the hospitals.

That's so sad. It's an illness to be taken seriously.

The trajectory is the same as last season, the only difference is that the season has started earlier (something which isn't unheard of).
The media is whipping up hysteria, click bait if you like. It's irresponsible, because we're already seeing restrictions akin to covid restrictions - visiting being suspended in hospitals, two localities in Scotland have reintroduced online learning. Vaccine stocks are running low too, because people for whom it's not deemed necessary are hoovering it up. The scare mongering will hit retail and hospitality.
I don't think it's a coincidence either that the government is making big on flu at a time when they're desperate to influence public opinion on the doctors strikes.

You are not being unreasonable.

Do you know what the criteria are for receiving an NHS jab in a pharmacy in NI? If you are a carer/ in receipt of Carer's Allowance does this count? Because we've got FA chance of getting through to the GP, tbh.

Ah so that's the how. Sepsis is a secondary problem. That's how flu can lead to organ failure and limb amputations, right, now it makes sense. Thanks for not belittling me.

Of course they are. Obesity rates have risen. In 2020 35k children had teeth removed at hospital. In 2025 that was 47k. More people than ever are on prescription medications. Mental health has tanked. It all points to a generally more unhealthy society.

Where do you thing 1,200 extra beds to treat those people come from? What does their loss of availability affect?

It’s not complicated ..how many beds does your local hospital have? The NHS have said the equivalent of THREE full NHS hospitals are occupied by flu inpatients…the result of that is delays in A&E….which leads to …preventable deaths, cancelled planned surgeries which leads to delays and deaths…

A child could understand this is a problem

Yes it’s a problem for the hospitals. It’s not something that’s going to kill us all.

The NHS is heavily rationed healthcare with a box-ticking culture, which then leads to bed-blocking and lengthy handovers. Combine that with people clogging up A&E because their GP fobbed them off.

The vaccines never cover all strains.

There are an estimated 5000 critical care beds in the U.K. If half of them are taken up with flu patients, that’s a problem. It not only impacts on emergent patients, it means routine surgeries are cancelled as there has to be critical care beds available for post operative patients. This means the already massive waiting lists will grow ever longer. Add to that a shortage of staff due to illness, and the fact those cases won’t be spread across the country, but will be where there are major outbreaks, that makes a threefold increase in hospitalisations a crisis.

The NHS is on its knees permanently and people can't access help for even serious illness, so what's the difference? You either die or you don't, but it's all a lottery regardless.

You’ve stopped musing about your pretend qualifications as an immunologist and now you are a public health expert…the biggest threat to obese people is weight stigma which you add to. Children’s teeth?!! 🤦‍♀️

Unless you need hospital care tonight.

Are you starting a new thread? The topic was flu and media coverage

I've just heard the news on the radio "An EXPLOSION of flu cases TEARING through hospitals." You have language like this being used in flu season and people wonder why there's so much hysteria. It's absolutely f'king pathetic,

I am obese. I am aware of how bad it is for my health. I am also not blind to what is happening in society.

I'm fed up of hearing people talk about how they're not getting themselves or their children vaccinated. Maybe we wouldn't be hearing about the flu so much if people actually got vaccinated.

The vaccine isn't working