‘Superflu’ panic as Brits urged to stay inside and wear masks | UK | News
A GP has expressed urgent concerns about the ‘super flu’ causing chaos in the NHS.
Dr Nighat Arif addressed the crisis during an appearance on ITV’s This Morning.
Detailing what the super flu entailed, he explained why it is currently causing such devastating effects in the UK.
During the week before Sunday, hospitals recorded an average of 2,660 flu cases per day; NHS England said this meant all three hospitals were full with flu patients.
Concerns are growing that a five-day strike by junior doctors, scheduled to begin on Wednesday, December 17, could worsen the crisis.
Latest NHS statistics have warned the health service could face a ‘worst case scenario’ after a dramatic rise in cases with no peak in sight.
“Super flu has been around for a little longer than we would like. This is the same type of flu we encounter every year,” Dr Arif said.
“It’s H3N2 and it’s a subclade K, so it’s sometimes called flu K. It’s basically a more virulent form of influenza A.
“Every year we get the normal germs, viruses, the flu, we get Covid, we get winter diarrhea and vomiting sickness. That’s part of the picture, but what’s different this year and why it’s called super flu is that it came a little bit earlier.
“I think it’s because the weather played such a big part in it. I also think we didn’t prepare well for it because we didn’t think it would match the weather that much.”
“And then the uptake and the messaging — the public health messaging of ‘go and get yourself a vaccine or stay home if you’re still sick’ lagged a little bit, which is why we had such a spike in cases.”
“We get variations of H3N2. We get the SARS virus, it mutates. We prepare for this every year, so we say early preparation is very important.”
When asked how the public can protect themselves and reduce pressure on an overwhelmed NHS, Dr. Arif continued: “NHS cases are up 50 per cent and that’s because, as I said before, people weren’t prepared for this in the way we should have been, so all the public health messaging we’ve had in the pandemic to make sure you wash your hands and ventilate – these viruses are airborne.
“If you’re somewhere make sure you’ve got your filters on, make sure the ventilation is good, cough into your elbow, make sure you cough into a tissue and throw it in the trash, wash your hands and wear a mask as well. You have to make sure that you’re thinking about protecting yourself when you’re outside because sometimes the symptoms may not be there but people are still going out and mingling. The other thing is, if you’re not feeling well, stay inside and self-isolate.”
Hospital admissions for flu have reached their peak for this time of year since monitoring began; however, the records only extend to 2021 and therefore do not include the two most severe flu epidemics of the last 15 years, which occurred in 2014/15 and 2017/18.
Authorities reported that cases continued to increase throughout the week, and there is concern that the number may exceed 5,000 by the end of the week.
