\n<\/p>\n
An NHS leader has said people who are unwell with flu \u201cmust\u201d wear a mask in public. A UK government official has said if you need to go out while sick, you should only \u201cconsider\u201d wearing a mask.<\/p>\n
So what is the official advice, how serious is the threat posed by flu, and what should you do if have symptoms?<\/p>\n
Speaking to Times Radio, Daniel Elkeles, the chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said the UK was experiencing a \u201cvery nasty strain of flu\u201d and people with flu or cold symptoms \u201cmust\u201d wear a mask in public.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you were talking about anything like Covid, I think we need to get back into the habit that if you are coughing and sneezing, but you\u2019re not unwell enough not to go to work, then you must wear a mask when you\u2019re in public spaces, including on public transport, to stop the chances of you giving your virus to somebody else.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we were all very good about infection control during Covid. And we really, really need to get back to that now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked whether he meant people who have \u201ca cold, they\u2019re snuffling, they are coughing\u201d should also wear a mask in the office, Elkeles said: \u201cI think that would be very sensible to all their colleagues, or probably their colleagues would say \u2018please go home\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Downing Street said wearing a mask to prevent the spread of respiratory illness was \u201csomething people can consider\u201d.<\/p>\n
A No 10 spokesperson said: \u201cThere is longstanding guidance in place for people on a range of measures they can consider taking to help limit the spread of winter bugs if they have flu-like symptoms.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is neither new nor an instruction but simply something people can consider when trying to limit the spread of winter respiratory illnesses.\u201d<\/p>\n
This advice, which stops short of saying people \u201cmust\u201d wear a mask, tallies with what the UK Health Security Agency said last Thursday.<\/p>\n
Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, a consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: \u201cIf you have flu-like symptoms such as a high temperature, cough or are feeling tired and achy \u2013 try to limit contact with others, especially those at higher risk.<\/p>\n
\u201cWash your hands regularly, keep indoor spaces well-ventilated, and if you need to go out while unwell, consider wearing a face mask.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yes. Masks can be a useful tool in limiting the spread of flu in some situations.<\/p>\n
Wearing a well-fitting mask when unwell can reduce the number of particles containing viruses that are released from the mouth and nose of someone who has a respiratory infection.<\/p>\n
Face coverings can also protect the person wearing them from becoming infected with other respiratory viruses, according to UKHSA.<\/p>\n
Health officials are concerned. This year\u2019s season started a month earlier than usual, with a drifted influenza A(H3N2) strain \u2013 also known as subclade K \u2013 currently dominating cases in England.<\/p>\n
The number of people in hospital with flu in England has reached a record high for this time of year. An average of 1,717 flu patients are in beds each day, including 69 in critical care, the most recent data showed.<\/p>\n
That is an increase of 56% on the equivalent numbers for the same week in 2024, when the total was 1,098 with 39 in critical care.<\/p>\n
Flu jabs are available to anyone 65 and over, or those under 65 deemed at clinical risk.<\/p>\n
Care home residents, carers, pregnant women, close contacts of people who are immunosuppressed, frontline health workers and children can also get the vaccine.<\/p>\n
Flu spreads easily and can live on surfaces for 24 hours, so frequent hand washing and coughing or sneezing into tissues which are immediately thrown in the bin can help.<\/p>\n
Health leaders have also urged eligible people to come forward and get their flu jab.<\/p>\n
Yes. UKHSA data shows this year\u2019s vaccine is providing good protection against this strain.<\/p>\n
Flu can come on very quickly. Symptoms include a sudden fever, tiredness, aches and pains, a dry cough, sore throat, headache, trouble sleeping, loss of appetite, feeling sick and diarrhoea.<\/p>\n
The NHS suggests rest, keeping warm, drinking plenty of fluids and taking paracetamol or ibuprofen to help with fever, aches and pains. Pharmacists can also advise on remedies.<\/p>\n
People should call NHS 111 or book an urgent GP appointment if they are over 65, pregnant, worried about their child\u2019s symptoms, have long-term medical conditions, have a weakened immune system or if symptoms do not improve after seven days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An NHS leader has said people who are unwell with flu \u201cmust\u201d wear a mask in public. A UK government official has said if you need to go out while sick, you should only \u201cconsider\u201d wearing a mask. So what is the official advice, how serious is the threat posed by flu, and what should<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36763,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[335,4255,16236,364,177,19420,3091],"class_list":{"0":"post-36762","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-feel","9":"tag-flu","10":"tag-mask","11":"tag-people","12":"tag-public","13":"tag-unwell","14":"tag-wear"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36762"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36762\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}