Why is the winter flu so bad this year? Dr Amir shares what you need to know - and how to protect yourself

Story by Charlie Elizabeth Culverhous

Flu cases are rising rapidly in the UK, with the winter illness affecting more people and bringing harsher symptoms with it than it did this time last year. In an appearance on Good Morning Britain, Dr Amir Khan has explained why this is - and revealed the best ways to protect yourself from getting ill.

Getting a little bit ill is something we expect in winter, with the freezing temperatures and long, dark nights leaving us a bit sniffly and feeling worse for wear. But this year, the flu is spreading - and fast, with the NHS seeing an unusually large influx of flu patients needing treatment.

So why is the flu so bad this year? In an appearance on Good Morning Britain, Dr Amir Khan explained, "We've been dealing with four viruses; Covid19, flu, norovirus (which is also called the winter vomiting bug), and RSV. Flu is the big one this year."

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The main reasons for this are that there have been 'low numbers in terms of uptake of the flu vaccine' and also that the 'main strain of flu' going around this year is one that hasn't been around for a number of years, HN1, and that means population immunity against it is low.

Dr Amir added, "Now, this cold weather isn't helping either. It dries out our mucus membranes, it puts additional pressure on our immune system, making us more susceptible to flu, but it also worsens other health conditions like cardiovascular disease and lung conditions. Those people then end up in hospital, putting pressure on the system."

If you are feeling run down, it's possible to get rid of a cold fast and the doctor, in his previous warning where he revealed how to avoid getting the flu, says many people can manage flu at home. This not only helps to stop the spread of flu in hospitals where there are many vulnerable patients, but it will also help ease the pressure on hospitals. If you have flu with symptoms like all-over body pain, muscle aches, high temperatures, runny nose, sore throat, and a cough, ringing 111, your GP, or the pharmacist should get you the help you need to deal with pain from home.

However, it's important to look for signs of dehydration which is one symptom that can lead to a hospital admission.

Sharing his tips for protecting yourself against the flu, Dr Amir says, "Flu is mainly spread through large droplets and even some small aerosol air droplets in the air as well. Good things to do are; hand hygiene, clean communal services, and get air ventilated and filtered in indoor spaces."

Also, you should get your flu jab if you're eligible, so that's for those 65 and over, those who have an underlying health condition, pregnant women, and those living in care homes.

He added, "Keep your immune system tip top. Prioritise sleep, whole foods, and exercise. Stop smoking, obviously. And if you're ill, stay at home - don't spread it around."

The question on everyone's lips is 'Why is this year so bad?' Not only in terms of the flu symptoms themselves, with the HN1 strain of the illness being to blame there, but in the sheer pressure on the NHS. Dozens of hospitals across the UK have declared critical incidents due to the amount of patients they're treating and it's only getting worse as winter drags on.

"I feel like we say that winter in the NHS is always bad, but this winter is particularly bad," Dr Amir shared. Explaining why that is, he said, "We've gone into it on the back foot because of the backlog on the waiting list and also ongoing staffing crisis within the NHS. Social care continues to be an issue as well with capacity. We can't discharge medically fit patients because there's no beds in social care. That leads to long queues of ambulances waiting to transfer patients."

The statistics are stark. According to both the doctor and official NHS figures, "Last week there were just over 5,400 people in hospital per day with flu. If we compare that to the start of December (when there were 1,098 per day), you can see it's an almost five time increase. But if we look at this time last year (when there were 1,548 per day), we've got three and a half times more people in hospital with flu."

If you're experiencing flu like symptoms, the official NHS advice is to stay at home. Call 111, your GP, or the pharmacist for medical advice and only call 999 in an emergency.

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John Bellamy Comments:

I had flu some 35 years ago and I was 16 days in bed as weak as anything. It would take me over 45 minutes to sit up in bed, sling my legs off the side, stand and go to the kitchen for a glass of water, then back to bed to collapse exhausted.

After 16 days with a friend coming in every day to check on me, and where I lost 2 stone - 28lb or 13kg and I looked thin and gaunt. I was feeling stronger and had to get up and change the cats litter tray and while doing so, my cat went and peed on my bed, right where I desperately wanted to climb back into - she did so out of telling me off for not cleaning her litter tray out sooner - and I had to sort that out, wash the part of the quilt that was wet, change the sheet under and 2 pillow slips, and because I was so upset, so weak and so emotional, I then chase the cat around the flat so she knew she had done wrong, and the expending of so much energy gave me a huge relapse and I spent another 5 days ill again, just as I was starting to feel better. My cat never peed on my bed again after that.

It was not a pleasant month of ill health where I relied on others as this was the proper flu and not just a cold / chill as most people get while claiming to have had the flu, they have not, they had a mild cold... Flu lasts and lasts and leaves you weak and weary and in some cases, can kill.

Stay in the warm,

Do not spread your germs far and wide.

Stay in bed if you can.

Stay hydrated - drink plenty of water and hot drinks - but keep of dairy - ie: milk, cheese etc... it makes mucus.

Keep soups and easy to eat foods in stock.

Take Paracetamol to reduce any temperature rise - but do not over do the Paracetamol as it's in a lot of cold remedies .

Keep towels handy at night to dry yourself off with during night sweats.

Do NOT go to work, your body needs time to go through the process and over straining can cause a serious relapse.

Use your heads guys, think before you do anything when feeling un-well.

Real Flu can take 2 - 3 weeks and then there is the recovery time, and when you have said in the past you have had the flu, you have not, you may have had a 2 or 3 day cold / chill but the Flu will last for weeks, drain you of energy, you will loose weight and not eat - long sweaty nights tossing and turning and a general feeling of malaise will engulf you.

It will pass if you look after yourself and / or better still, you have someone there to take care of yourself... if not, stock up in advance JUST IN CASE.