Flu to hospital

I read this morning that this years flu jab was effective for 52% of this years flu strains.
I had flu once and was frightened at how ill I was. I pay to have the flu jab each year.

Dr on tv this morning said flu vaccine was 40% effective in elderly.

You pays your money etc.

I'd read that too, gd, about this year's flu vax.

An article in the BMJ indicated that, according to Public Health England, current flu vaccines are virtually ineffective in people over the age of 65. “Provisional estimates show that for all age groups combined, the vaccine effectiveness against influenza A and B was 39.8% (85% CI 23.1 to 52.8). But for the over-65s, the principal target of the campaign, effectiveness was −6.3% (CI −95.5 to 42.0).”

I’ve never had the flu jab Jeanie despite being offered it most years recently (carer). For healthy people the evidence is very mixed www.cochrane.org/CD001269/ARI_vaccines-to-prevent-influenza-in-healthy-adults

My son is currently in hospital and the doctors asked what I thought about giving him the flu jab. I was surprised as I thought they’d just give it. I explained why we had never given it or believed it to be in his best interests & said I recognised it wasn’t our decision to make (he’s an adult without capacity). His doctor also said he shouldn’t have it so he hasn’t. It’s not always quite the straightforward decision leaflets of info from the GP would have you believe.

I have never had flu but hubby did some years ago he was completely incapacitated.
We both had the flu jab when it was offered, he was very ill after having it and as declined having it again. I was alright but it puts me off having it again because of how he was.

The problem is that for some people who have other complex health needs 'flu can make their other symptoms and conditions much worse and therefore need medical attention and potentially hospitalisation.

Apologies type - most influenza infections are asymptomatic

I've had the flu injection for the past 10yrs and have not had the flu to its full blown severity thank goodness as I remember having it when my children where younger ,my sister had to take over running the house for a week as I was so poorly.
I feel so sorry for older people who have to cope on their own when ill and worry how many people we will loose this winter to the illness.
Always keep your hand sanitizer to hand and use it on a regular basis when you are out and about I have always done this and am convinced it does help keep germs at bay.

From the Lancet - most influenza symptoms are asymptomatic www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(14)70034-7/abstract

And an easier read of the same work - 77% of flu sufferers show no symptoms www.prevention.com/health/health-concerns/77-flu-sufferers-show-no-symptoms

So you may think it bizarre - but it’s true.

nezum I can say with confidence that neither you nor your son have had flu.

I’ve had flu three times, the last time in my 40’s. It certainly is different to even the most severe cold. Days passed almost out of awareness. It can be very frightening to experience and also to see. I think anyone with serious underlying health issues is almost certain to need hospital treatment, people at each end of the age spectrum are very vulnerable to serious complications. Totally agree that it is more than unreasonable to visit anyone in hospital if you are unwell yourself.

What an bizarre post, full of misinformation and bad practice.

Flu the illness is traditionally defined as feeling very ill, but you can have flu the virus and not be very ill at all. It depends how susceptible you are. I haven’t ever had flu the illness but there’s no way I’ve managed 50 years on this planet without picking up the virus at some stage.

Likewise I’d never had chickenpox enough for anyone to notice but when tested I had immunity so must have had it at some stage (ditto mumps I would imagine).

I suspect my middle son has had flu this year as he keeps getting a bit better than ill again. It has been going on for about a month now but there’s only been about one day when he wasn’t well enough to get up. The rest of the time he’s been at school etc (not allowed time off school for illness really these days unless you are physically unable to stand so he’ll have spread it everywhere).

Billybob is right. If you feel you cannot lift your head up and crawl out if bed you have flu.

When my daughter was about 18 months I had flu and I could not get out of bed for about four days and it took over a week to get back to normal. I have not forgotten that. Poor daughter could not understand why I was ignoring her and was quite upset.

Let’s hope this years flu vaccine is more effective for over 65s than last seasons which was almost completely ineffective on our age group

Remember our GP telling us that the difference between 'man flu' and proper flu is that with the latter you are 'off your legs' and can lead to pneumonia in vulnerable people.

Agree that flu knocks you out completely. On the recent Viral Infection thread it was clear what the difference is. I'm now recovering from the most awful stinking long-lasting cold but it was not flu.

I've only had flu once and it was dreadful. No matter how bad a cold is there's no comparison.

Between Boxing Day and yesterday I stayed at home - in bed for much of the time - but not spreading it around. Told family not to visit so
I've had a very quiet start to 2018!

Raging temperature completely poleaxed and often a nasty cough. I had gastric flu last time, I have never been so ill in my life. Takes at least 3 weeks to recover once you are over the worst. I was about late thirties so re covered, I could imagine what it would do to frail elderly or baby though.

I've had flu twice - once in my 20's when I could do nothing at all and my parents had to take over looking after the children and again 3 years ago even though I'd had the flu jab that year. It knocks you out flat and you can literally do nothing but lay in bed - or in my case on the sofa for a week! I think those with breathing difficulties and young children at those who need hospitalising the rest of us should stay home and keep the germs to themselves!

I thought that the definition of flu was that you summon the wherewithal to pick up a £50 note off the floor.

I've had flu once and, thereafter paid for the flu jab every year until I became eligible to get it free.

Baggs,- people going to visit hospital patients if they have colds or flu are irresponsible beyond belief.

I am a great believer in the flu jab. I have been having one every year, even before I became a pensioner, as I have asthma and bronchiectasis. One year my husband caught flu and was flat out in bed. He doesn't remember much about it but I looked after him, waking him up to drink pints of water and take paracetamol and I did not catch the flu from him.

If you haven't had the flu jab yet, please make an appointment today.

She was indeed right. I have only had flu once. I have never felt so ill in my life. I was younger and much fitter then and it still took me weeks to get over it. If i got it now, i don’t really know how i would cope with it. DH had what he thought was flu when he was working and it turned out to be pneumonia. Had he still been a smoker at that time he was told he would almost certainly have died. I don’t think that people who have never had it know what it is really like and therefore when they are so ill, if they can’t get to see or even speak to a doctor (some may not even be registered with GPs) they resort to A&E, especially if they are having breathing difficulties when they will almost certainly be kept in if there is a bed, I would have thought. Therein lies the difficulty this winter it seems.

When you cannot lift your head off the pillow you feel so ill thats flu. Your mother was right Baggs you cannot function very well with "full on" flu.