INFLUENZA – often abbreviated to flu – is a highly contagious virus that strikes down millions of Brits each year.
While it's unpleasant to catch, there are ways of avoiding it and treating the symptoms if you get it.
What are the symptoms of flu?
It usually takes between one and three days for flu symptoms to develop after catching the virus.
In most cases people feel better after a week.
The NHS explains that the main symptoms include a fever of more than 38C, a chesty cough, headache, tiredness and aching muscles as well as a sore throat, runny nose and sneezing.
Some people can also experience nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea or joint and limb pain.
How can I treat influenza at home?
As influenza is viral, you need to wait for the symptoms to pass, but there are some things you can do to make yourself more comfortable.
It's best to get as much rest as possible to allow your body to recuperate.
You should also keep warm and drink plenty of water to avoid getting dehydrated.
Taking paracetamol or ibuprofen can help to lower your temperature and treat aches and pains.
If you're pregnant, over 65, have a long-term medical condition or weakened immune system you should consider visiting a GP if you are struck down by the flu.
The flu vaccine for the over-65s has an extra ingredient to boost immune systems.
A jab which protects against four rather than three strains will be given to others at risk.
The NHS also advises seeking medical attention if you develop chest pain, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing or begin coughing up blood as well as if symptoms are not improving after a week.
How contagious is it?
It is spread in droplets, meaning that anyone sneezing, coughing or talking up to six feet away from you can spread it to you.
The incubation period (between exposure and symptoms) is between 24 hours and four days.
After symptoms have begun, adults are contagious for five to 10 days.
Children can be contagious for longer.
What's the difference between flu and the common cold?
Influenza and the common cold are both respiratory illnesses but they are caused by different viruses.
On the whole, flu symptoms are more intense than those caused by the common cold.
People who are suffering from a cold are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose.
What is the H3N2 flu strain?
There are lots of different strains of influenza which fall into categories A, B or C.
Category A is further broken down into specific strains of the virus, and one of these is H3N2.
Flu symptoms are the same regardless of what strain you have but H3N2 cases have been reported as more severe in recent years.
Between 2003 – 2013 H3N2 caused more deaths on average than other years.
Between 2014-2015 a mutated H3N2 virus caused the majority of flu cases in the US.
What was the 'Aussie flu' outbreak?
In 2017, Australia had its worst flu outbreak on record with the number of people needing hospital treatment double that of the previous year.
Some hospitals had standing room only as the H3N2 strain of the winter bug struck the country with more than 137,500 cases confirmed by the start of September
A young mum of two died in Australia after contracting the virus as experts warned all eligible Brits to get a flu jab.
Professor Robert Dingwall, a public health expert at Nottingham Trent University, told the Daily Express it was expected to be the most serious flu outbreak since the 1968 pandemic that started in Hong Kong and killed more than a million people worldwide.
He warned it was "inevitable" the flu strain would hit the UK.
"Based on the Australian experience public health officials need to meet and urgently review emergency planning procedures," he said.
"Public Health England should be working with local authorities and local health services to ensure more hospital beds are freed up.
"We need to be prepared, alert and flexible."
What was the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic?
The 1918 Spanish flu pandemic was the deadliest outbreak of the virus in history.
An estimated 500 million people across the globe caught the illness.
While there are no official figures documenting the exact number of deaths it is thought that between 20 million and 50 million lives were lost.
The flu was first observed in Europe, the US and parts of Asia before it quickly spread throughout the world.
At that time there was no vaccination to protect against flu.
It was later discovered that in many victims the vicious virus had invaded their lungs and caused pneumonia.
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