Flu cases are already rising in England as experts warn that the common virus could wreak more havoc than usual this year, with cases spiking in children and young adults
Winter is well-known to be season of the virus and the flu is a particularly common reason for people to take a few sick days off each year – but this year, experts are warning it could be even worse.
Experts are warning that flu which can cause high fever, aches and exhaustion, and in severe cases lead to hospitalisation, may cause more havoc than usual this year. Public health officials have now warned that the country is facing an early flu season, as the number of cases rises – especially among school-aged children and younger adults.
Recent data from Australia has revealed the country’s worst winter flu season down under for seven years as the country moves out of their winter. Unfortunately, it is forecasted that Britain is expected to face the same results as temperatures start to lower.
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According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), influenza activity started to rise in late November 2024, peaking just before Christmas, in one of the worst seasons in recent memory. Now, there are concerns are that the same thing could happen this year, and result in an even worse outbreak.
Across the UK, GP visits, hospital admissions and ICU stays for flu-like illness were all higher than the previous year. According to The Sun, the wave was driven mainly by the H1N1 strain of influenza A, before a second bump from influenza B stretched cases into March.
Just in England alone, more than 16,000 people were admitted to hospital with confirmed cases of flu last season. This number was more than double the total in 2023–24, with nearly 2,000 ending up in intensive care — this number was also more than twice as many as the previous year.
An estimated 7,757 deaths in England were linked to influenza, it has been reported. This number was more than double the previous winter’s toll (3,555), although it was still lower than the severe 2022–23 season, which killed more than 15,000.
Among children, there were 53 flu-related deaths, which was the highest amount in two years. Elders were hit the hardest, with those aged 85 and over recorded as having the highest hospitalisation rates. But an unusually large number of children and younger adults also caught the flu last year, as the season began with a surge in H1N1 infections in schools.
The disease is notoriously hard to predict, but there is some evidence this flu season could be similar to last year. Dr George Diaz, a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and chief of medicine at Providence Regional Medical Center in Washington, told NBC news: “It’s a little early to know which strains will predominate this year for flu season, but certainly there is a risk that similar very virulent strains could circulate again this year.”
“This prediction for a moderate season could be off, and it could be another severe flu season,” he added. Another expert, Dr William Schaffner who is a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre believes it’s difficult to know how severe flu will eventuate this year in the United states.
He said that it’s very unusual to have “two ultra-severe seasons back-to-back.” But he warned that getting vaccinated was still the best line of defence.
“October is the ideal time to get vaccinated,” he said. “That ought to provide quite reasonable protection throughout what we consider the influenza season, through February and into March.”
Guidance from the NHS recommends people get plenty of sleep and rest while they are experiencing the flu. It added that patients should keep warm, drink lots of water to avoid dehydration, take paracetamol or ibuprofen to lower your temperature and to stay off work or school until you recover.