Flu

Once again, we are at that time of year when flu starts to affect many people, also known as influenza flu can be particularly bad for the elderly and people with long term conditions. Don’t miss out the vaccinations, they are free and available now.

Flu will often get better on its own, but it can make some people seriously ill. It’s important to get the flu vaccine if you’re advised to.

Flu symptoms come on very quickly and can include:

• a sudden high temperature
• an aching body
• feeling tired or exhausted
• a dry cough
• a sore throat
• a headache
• difficulty sleeping
• loss of appetite
• diarrhoea or tummy pain
• feeling sick and being sick

Telling the difference between cold and flu

Cold and flu symptoms are similar, but flu tends to be more severe.

Differences between cold and flu.

Flu

• Appears quickly within a few hours
• Affects more than just your nose and throat
• Makes you feel exhausted and too unwell to carry on as normal

Cold

• Appears gradually
• Affects mainly your nose and throat
• Makes you feel unwell, but you still feel well enough to do your normal activities

How to treat flu yourself

If you have flu, there are some things you can do to help get better more quickly.

Do:

Get vaccinated / rest and sleep / keep warm / take paracetamol or ibuprofen to lower your temperature and treat aches and pains / drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration (your pee should be light yellow or clear)

Do not take paracetamol and flu remedies that contain paracetamol at the same time as it’s easy to take more than the recommended dose.

GPs do not recommend antibiotics for flu because they will not relieve your symptoms or speed up your recovery.