Over 200 Fake Blue Badges Recovered Over Three Years

Flu cases are rising earlier than usual across the UK, prompting the NHS to issue a nationwide “flu jab SOS” amid growing fears of a particularly harsh winter. Experts say a sudden mutation in a seasonal flu strain over the summer has made it more capable of evading existing immunity, triggering an unusually early and potentially more severe flu season.

Professor Nicola Lewis, director of the World Influenza Centre at the Francis Crick Institute, said the current situation is concerning. “We haven’t seen a virus like this for a while, these dynamics are unusual,” she said. “It does concern me, absolutely. I’m not panicking, but I am worried.”

The dominant circulating strain, known as A/H3N2, is associated with more serious illness, particularly in older adults, according to Dr Antonia Ho of the University of Glasgow. Hospital admissions for flu are already higher than typically seen at this time of year, with the UK Health Security Agency noting the season has started “unusually early.”

NHS England chief Sir Jim Mackey warned there is “no doubt” this will be one of the toughest winters the health service has faced, urging all those eligible to get vaccinated as soon as possible, along with public health officials worldwide.

#MaltaDaily