{"id":557,"date":"2017-12-04T09:16:17","date_gmt":"2017-12-04T09:16:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/?p=557"},"modified":"2026-06-03T12:35:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T12:35:21","slug":"winter-flu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/winter-flu\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Winter Flu?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As the weather gets colder and wetter and the nights draw in, the number of people with coughs, sniffles and sneezes grows. People are absent from the office, friends cancel engagements and you seem to always get stuck in the supermarket checkout or on the train next to a sneezing, sniffling, virus-spreader.  If you haven\u2019t already, it\u2019s time to get out your <\/span>hand sanitiser<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what exactly is winter flu? How do you catch it?  Can you avoid it?  And what should you do when you get it?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter flu is a viral infection caused by various strains of influenza viruses. It can be caught at any time of the year, but is more common during the northern winter (which is why it\u2019s called winter or seasonal flu), partly because we spend more time indoors in the winter, thus spreading our viruses around more readily.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health bosses in the UK have advised all GPs and hospitals to brace themselves for an intense flu season following the outbreaks in Australia and New Zealand.  But <\/span>NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens has insisted that measures were being taken to ensure the NHS was prepared. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the community can prepare as well, although the flu can be unpleasant and you may be bedridden for days, some at risk groups can develop potentially serious side effects from the flu virus, including pneumonia These at risk groups are eligible for a free flu vaccine on the NHS.  For more information on the Flu Vaccination please visit the <\/span>NHS Flu Vaccine Page<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the Flu Virus?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flu viruses are RNA viruses (i.e. their genetics are encoded in RNA, as they have no DNA) consisting of three genera, all of which infect humans:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Influenza virus A:<\/b> is the most notable flu virus.  It infects humans but also other mammals and birds, and has been the cause of all the recent human flu pandemics. It is sub-classified into a number of sub-types based on variations in the proteins on its surface.  These proteins are denoted by \u201cH\u201d (hemagglutinin) and \u201cN\u201d (neuraminidase). For example, sub-type H1N1 caused the most recent flu pandemic in 2009.  The most recently discovered subtype, H18N11, was isolated from a bat in Peru in 2013<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Influenza virus B:<\/b> infects seals.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Influenza virus C:<\/b> infects pigs and dogs.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \"influenza-virus\"<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Symptoms of the winter flu<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The flu symptoms show one to three days after the body becomes infected, and vary from person to person. People are infectious for up to seven days after becoming infected. The symptoms can include some or all of the following:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n