“WORST cold ever” has been trending on various social media platforms for weeks.
Here we look at why so many people have been talking about getting sick…
1
Why is ‘worst cold ever’ trending?
Colds and flu were stopped for over a year by several lockdowns and social distance.
But, as Brits spend more time socializing and things have opened up, the number of colds, flu, and coughs has increased.
Because of this lots of people have rushed to Facebook, Twitter and TikTok to talk about how they have been ill for weeks with the “worst cold ever.”
What have doctors said about the worst cold ever?
Dr Philippa Kaye, a GP in London, told the BBC: “We’ve actually been seeing a rise in the number of coughs and colds and viral infections.
“We are mixing in a way that we haven’t been mixing over the past 18 months.
“During those first lockdowns, we saw numbers of other [non-Covid] infections fall.
“We think that that was primarily due to the restrictions on meeting up.”
With the season changing, Professor Anthony Harnden is the deputy chair for the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. He believes that the situation will only get worse.
He said that low flu immunity “could be potentially a bigger problem this winter than Covid”.
“We’ve had a very, very low prevalence of flu for the last few years, particularly virtually nil during lockdown, and we do know that when flu has been circulating in very low numbers immunity drops in the population, and it comes back to bite us,” He stated.
What are the signs of a bad flu?
COMMON COLD
The NHS lists says a common cold can cause:
- A blocked or runny nose
- A sore throat
- Headaches
- Muscle aches
- Coughs
- Sneezing
- A raised temperature
- Pressure in your ears and face
- Loss of taste and smell
THE FLU
The NHS states the signs of flu include:
- a sudden fever – a temperature of 38C or above
- an aching body
- feeling tired or exhausted
- a dry cough
- a sore throat
- a headache
- difficulty sleeping
- loss of appetite
- diarrhoea or tummy pain
- feeling sick or being sick