Amid an influenza wave described by the National Health Service (NHS) as «unprecedented», a British mother shared her painful story with the disease that affected her and her daughter, warning everyone about its severity and confirming that it is «absolutely no joke.»
The mother wrote on «Reddit»: «This currently prevalent flu is truly dreadful! Both my daughter and I caught it, and I swear it's terrible, wash your hands, wear masks, do everything you can to avoid it!»
The symptoms of the prevalent flu
According to the site «Express», the mother described the five main symptoms she experienced: a high fever reaching 40 degrees Celsius or more, a severe headache resembling «splitting», vomiting large amounts of phlegm, severe muscle and bone pains, and the inability to eat anything but ice lollies.
The mother explained that she couldn't look at light or get out of bed, which led her to be fearful enough to visit the hospital.
Her journey began with calling the emergency service, which referred her to the general practitioner, where she wore sunglasses and covered her eyes with her hand all the time, and was unable to stay awake.
She confirmed that the nurse told her that her pulse was very high, with a fever above 40 degrees, and her extreme sensitivity to light (photophobia) raised significant concern.
She confirmed that the initial concern was about the possibility of contracting meningitis due to high pulse, fever, and sensitivity to light.
Health crisis in Britain
This warning comes amid a severe health crisis in the United Kingdom, as NHS data until December 11 showed that the average number of flu patients in hospitals reached 2,660 patients daily last week – the highest number recorded for this time of year, with an increase of 55% from the previous week.
The health authorities described this wave as «super flu» (super flu), driven by the mutated H3N2 strain, with no peak yet in sight.
In this regard, the Medical Director for Emergency Care Professor Julian Redhead expressed his deep concerns: «These figures confirm our deepest fears, we are facing an unprecedented flu wave this winter, with astoundingly high cases for this time, and no peak in sight.»
He added that this wave coinciding with the strike of resident doctors may push the medical staff to the brink of collapse.
In facing this crisis, the NHS urged eligible individuals to get the flu vaccine immediately for protection, especially as Christmas approaches.
