Flu December 2024.

[MistyDay]

I read the vaccine is 30% less effective this year againt the virus. I haven't read how long people are contageous for with the virus, and the advice given to isolate to protect the vulnerable . Has anyone any idea how long people are contagious and if there are tests like there are for covid to keep us more safe especially at Xmas coming up where we tend to mix a bit more. I can then plan which gatherings to attend.

[Neonkittie17]

My flu vaccine doesn’t give me any more than a very minimal antibodies response anyhow. 🤷‍♀️

[MistyDay in reply to Neonkittie17]

Thank you. This is interesting. I have never had an anibody test before and after a flu vaccine or with a covid vaccine, so I have no idea. Benepali had lowered my neutrophils but that is the only indicator I know of.

[Madmusiclover in reply to MistyDay]

I take part in a study and get my Covid antibodies checked 28 days after jab. They have been in normal range.

[Madmusiclover]

you will probably qualify for free Covid tests. Look at the nhs website. Or you can buy them.

[bpeal1]

The problem with Flu is that it isn’t just one strain of virus that causes it. Therefore when they develop the vaccine each year they have to predict which strains will be causing flu that year. Some years they get it more correct than others. However, I’ve not heard that this years vaccine is not working as well as other years. Where did you hear this?

Also because it’s lots of different strains of viruses which all cause flu there isn’t a test you can buy for it. There are tests which can be done in hospitals but they haven’t been able to develop an accurate lateral flow test.

According to the NHS website people are most infectious for the first 5 days. There’s lots of useful information about flu here nhs.uk/conditions/flu/

More information here who.int/news-room/fact-shee...

[MistyDay in reply to bpeal1]

Thank you. I shall read the information. The report about the recent flu vaccine was in the news yesterday and I read an article in the daily mail mentioning the vaccine was 30% less effective for this strain. It also said that cases of flu have been down over the last few years as people were isolating due to covid world wide and there was now less immunity to it. It also said that the uk vaccine was based on what was needed in Australia as their winter flu was earlier. The strain of flu we have here is different and the vaccine is therefore not as effective, although there is a drive to still have the vaccine. I understand that hospitals are not coping with an overwhelming number of flu patients. If people do not isolate for long enough when they have this strain it could be a real problem in the community. There will be more on it today for sure.

[bpeal1 in reply to MistyDay]

I had heard cases were increasing. What to put in the vaccine is always guess work (based on what happened in the southern hemisphere so it sounds like they didn’t get it quite right. I wouldn’t worry about people not isolating for long enough. Proper flu (ie not a cold which someone has decided to call flu!) totally floors you and people won’t be going out with it. I’ve had it twice and both times spent a week in bed and second week still feeling rough. I was 17 the first time I had it and it still floored me.

[MistyDay in reply to bpeal1]

Thank you.

[ruth_p]

People with flu are contagious for 5 days. However, if they do have proper flu I doubt they will be able to attend any Christmas gatherings as it is a very unpleasant illness. Both my husband and I had our flu vaccines on the same day and he has had the the last two weeks off work with flu but I didn’t get it from him. I’m meant to be the immune compromised one lol

[cathie]

my partner works on the statistical impact of vaccines. He says it’s the WHO which decides on the makeup of the flu vaccine based on what’s happening in Southern China where the virus originates in animal populations. It’s basically informed guesswork which varies in its accuracy. This is because the virus is constantly mutating. So the idea of a test isn’t really feasible given what we know.

[MistyDay in reply to cathie]

Thank you.

[Blackberrywine]

People with real flu isolate themselves naturally because it's awful! I've had flu once and it totally floored me for about 2 weeks. No way was I up and socialising.

[Lolabridge in reply to Blackberrywine]

Yes that was my experience too. I was so ill my stepmother had to come and look after me and my children! Nearly two weeks in bed feeling dreadful. So I never miss a flu (or COVID) jab now as I don’t want to go through that again.

[Amnesiac3637]

There are no tests for flu and if you get it and it’s flu and not just a cold the only planning you’ll be doing is how to get back into bed after you’ve staggered downstairs to make a cuppa.

[ABwn in reply to Amnesiac3637]

Been there, done that. I managed to get flu back in the mid-seventies when my son was a toddler. My measurement for flu since then is if you can get out of bed to pick up a £20 note on the floor next to the bed then you haven't got flu.

[PCStrawberry]

There are tests for influenza, in the USA. And even combined tests for COVID-19 and influenza (about 30GBP) or COVID-19, influenza and RSV (about 100GBP). They are newer and would typically take longer to reach the UK, even if not covered by NHS. As noted, it's hit or miss, due to scientifically-based guesswork, on the effectiveness of the annual influenza vaccine. Here we are advised to stop all antivirals and allow our system to rage against the virus. Usually doesn't take long for our system to beat it, usually 3-5 days.

[MistyDay in reply to PCStrawberry]

Thank you. This is interesting. I expect the UK will promote them in the future.