Ten things you need to know about flu

Author: Diane Maclean

We’ve had Spanish, Fujian, Hong Kong and Russian; not to mention cat, horse and bird. Flu, or influenza, has been with us for a long time. For most it is a winter inconvenience; a week of feeling truly miserable. For others it can be altogether more serious.  The good news is that you don’t have to take the flu lying down. A yearly vaccine can help you stay free of the common flu virus – and healthy through the winter.

1. What’s in a name?

The word flu comes from 15th century Italian: influenza di freddo – the influence of the cold. The word arrived in Britain in 1743 after a nasty outbreak of the disease in Europe.

2. Risky business

Although for most people the flu is just inconvenient, for the under-fives, over 65s and people of all ages with long-term illnesses, the flu can be potentially very serious. If you fall into this category then you could help protect yourself by asking your doctor for your free flu vaccine. People at risk include those with asthma and other breathing/chest problems, diabetes, serious heart conditions, serious liver or kidney condition, stroke or multiple sclerosis. You are also more at risk if you have a lowered immune system due to disease or treatment. Ask a pharmacist or your doctor if you want to know if you qualify for the jab.

3. All change

If you have had a flu vaccine last year, you’ll need another one this year. Flu viruses continually change, so last year’s vaccine might not necessarily protect you against any new strains. Creating new vaccines is a complicated business, begun many months before the start of the new flu season. It starts with the World Health Organisation announcing three flu viruses which are expected to cause illnesses over winter. Once these have been isolated, then the business of making a vaccine can begin.

4. Vaccination fixation

A common misconception is that the vaccine itself can give you the flu. This is not true as the vaccine doesn’t contain any live virus. Some people might experience mild side effects; a sore arm where they were injected or a slight rise in temperature, but any other reactions are very rare.

5. Vaccination evasion

There are times when you’re best not to take up the offer of a vaccination. Advice should be sought before some in the categories below gets a jag:

• Allergic to chicken eggs.
• Had a severe reaction to a flu vaccine before.
• Children under the age of 6 months.

Postpone your vaccination if you are ill, and wait until the symptoms abate

6. Pandemic pandemonium

There have been a number of flu epidemics that stand as a warning to us about the potential danger of flu. The first epidemic was recorded in 1580 but by far the worst was the outbreak of Spanish Flu between 1918 and 1920. With a 50 per cent infection rate, and a population already debilitated by the effects of war, this flu spread across the world killing millions. Estimates today suggest that the outbreak killed as many as 50 to 100 million people. Since then, other outbreaks include Asian Flu in the 1950s and Hong Kong Flu in the 1960s. Although not as devastating as Spanish flu, these epidemics still killed approximately two million people.

7. Do it yourself

There are things you can do to try and stop the spread of the flu. The virus travels best through coughing and sneezing - these can carry the virus at around 80 miles an hour and up to 3 feet - so if you do feel the urge, you’re best off sneezing into a tissue and then disposing of it promptly and washing your hands.

Remember that the flu virus can also spread through contact, so wash your hands often with soap and water. 

You can also help yourself by avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth. This decreases the chance that you will get the flu virus or other germs into your body or that you will pass the flu to others.

Stay in bed, and away from people, until you know you are over the illness. That way, you might be unlucky enough to have the flu but maybe fewer people will catch it from you.

8. Facts and figures

Flu is not just bad for us, it affects the economy. It is estimated that in the UK over 150 million working days are lost because of flu - at the cost of nearly £7 billion. It also affects the National Health Service. GPs spend much of their time each winter dealing with patients suffering from flu and flu-like symptoms and complications from the flu. In hospitals, flu means increasing numbers of unplanned admissions to hospital beds.

9. Outbreak predictions

The Met Office is adding flu forecasts to its traditional role of predicting winter weather. Apparently the computer-based system could provide a ten-day warning before an outbreak is expected. The Met Office looks at what weather patterns are most conducive to influenza and feedbacks when these conditions are at the optimum for an outbreak. So we might hear of “sharp outbreak of flu” along with our “cold snaps” soon!

10. Animal ailment

Flu viruses can affect different species of animals (e.g. birds, dogs, horses, pigs, camels, ferrets, cats, seals, mink and whales) and can on occasion spread from some of these animals to humans. The last few years have seen a rise in the number of human cases infected worldwide with bird/avian flu virus ('H5N1'). Such cases are rare and there have been no human cases of H5N1 reported in Scotland or the rest of the UK. Originating in the east, H5N1 has slowly travelled west - arriving in Scotland in a swan in April 2006 - but there have been no further cases reported in Scotland despite extensive testing of wild birds and poultry.