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Anyone who has suffered badly with influenza will understand how debilitating it can be. Common colds are often mistaken for ‘the flu’, but a bout of influenza tends to leave a patient bedridden for days. Secondary bacterial infections can make it last longer. Flu generally kills between 10,000 and 25,000 people in the UK. Because at-risk people have generally been vaccinated this includes a significant proportion of young and otherwise healthy people. Flu is extremely contagious, so in an epidemic year it is hard to avoid.
What are the symptoms? Aches, pains, fever, chills, diarrhoea, extreme fatigue, sore throat, cough and more. These will usually appear a few days after being exposed to the virus and tend to last five to seven days. Fatigue can continue for weeks after the initial onset of symptoms. Most patients recover with symptomatic treatment, but sometimes it leads to secondary bronchitis or pneumonia and may require further treatment.
What steps can you take? You can reduce your risk of catching flu by attending to hygiene (not sharing utensils and washing your hands regularly), not getting tired and run-down, eating a healthy diet, keeping fit and generally maintaining good health, which supports your immune system. In addition, if you are offered one, flu vaccination not only reduces your chances of catching the virus but it also mitigates the impact and helps you recover faster. If you think you have flu, you should avoid contact, especially with elderly or vulnerable people and you should cover your face when you sneeze or cough.
Doctorcall provides a flu vaccination for companies with a choice of an on-site vaccination programme or vouchers to use in over 3,000 pharmacies across the UK. This can reduce unplanned absenteeism, provides an invaluable benefit for staff and helps relieve pressure on the NHS in the winter when our hospitals are overwhelmed with cases of flu. Click here for more information
If you are ill, Doctorcall membership can provide a telemedicine service which can be accessed anywhere in the UK or abroad which can be followed up with an electronic prescription that you can use at a local pharmacy. Alternatively in London our visiting doctor service is available day and night throughout the entire year.
For a free quotation, please call 0344 257 0345 or enter your details Here.