St John Ambulance - What is the flu?

The ‘flu’ is caused by the influenza virus. There are many different strains, and they can, and do, change every year. The flu is not the same as a common cold, nor is it a mild form of Covid. Influenza is a stand-alone virus The flu is a serious disease because it can lead to:

• Bronchitis, croup and pneumonia, heart and other organ damage, brain swelling and ultimately death

The flu is easily spread from person to person. Most infections happen in winter.

Symptoms

Runny nose or sneezing, cough or sore throat, fever and chills, headache, body aches, vomiting and diarrhoea (especially in children)

Symptoms usually start about 1 to 3 days after catching the flu and can last for a week or more. Some people can be mildly affected, while others can become seriously ill.

Who is at risk?

The flu can affect people of all ages, the flu can be particularly nasty for babies and those over 65 years of age. People who smoke, are obese, have weakened immune systems, people with chronic illnesses and those who are unvaccinated may also be at greater risk of complications from the flu.

If you have the flu, you can help stop the virus spreading by:

• staying away from childcare, school, work and foodies, any place where you could spread the virus to others, keep doing all the things we’ve been doing over the last two and a half years with covid.
• Avoid going directly to hospital, if you are unwell, please ring NIHRACS and a consultation may be arranged in an area isolated from the aged and vulnerable. You will still be seen; however, it may be outside of NIHRACS or by telehealth.

A reminder that the next skill drill will be held on Tuesday 24 May at the Grassy Road shed.

If you are interested in becoming a St John volunteer or, for more information, please email norfolk.island@stjohnnsw.com.au or james.garden@stjohnnsw.com.au