The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is encouraging people to consider wearing face masks, among other precautions, as a number of winter viruses are spreading across the country.
Health chiefs are particularly concerned about the levels of influenza, flu, after a mutation of the virus kick-started flu season more than a month early this year.
“We haven’t seen a virus like this for a while, these dynamics are unusual,” said Prof Nicola Lewis, the director of the World Influenza Centre at the Francis Crick Institute. She added: “It does concern me, absolutely. “I’m not panicking, but I am worried.”
In a new post on X, formerly Twitter, the UKHSA is urging people to “help stop common infections like flu from spreading” by taking a number of steps.
These are washing hands regularly, opening windows when socialising inside, and catching coughs and sneezes in a tissue.
If you feel unwell, UKHSA adds, you should stay at home if you can, and wear a mask if you need to go out.
According to the latest data, positive flu rates increased slightly in the seven days to Tuesday, November 25 – rising from 10.7% in the previous week to 11.6%.
Health chiefs said positivity rates were highest in children aged 5-14.
Flu symptoms often come on quickly, and can include a sudden high temperature, body aches, a sore throat, a dry cough, fatigue, headaches, diarrhoea or stomach pain, feeling or being sick, loss of appetite and difficulty sleeping.
Children with flu may also suffer from earache and seem less active.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
