Four different flu viruses circulating in Wales as people say ‘brutal’ symptoms last for weeks – Wales Online

People across Wales are being hit by a wave of winter lurgies with one describing feeling like "someone poured Ready Brek into the back of my face".

The latest surveillance data from Public Health Wales suggests four different influenza viruses are circulating in Wales alongside seasonal cold infections and other viruses.

In the most recent weeks, there were ten cases of influenza A(H3N2), 16 cases of the 2009 swine flu variant of influenza A(H1N1), 33 cases of an untyped variant of influenza A and 25 cases of influenza B. The A(H1N1)pdm09 virus circulating is commonly called swine flu and caused the wave of infections in 2009.

READ MORE: Walking faster reduces risk of diabetes, according to new study

LATEST: Warning signs of heart-breaking mental illness in dogs to look out for

The figures from Public Health Wales show a growing number of people are going to their GP reporting flu-like symptoms, up from 3.6 consultations for every 100k people the previous week to 3.8. The public health body says this remains stable and within the expected range for this time of year.

There are also high rates of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV) virus in children, which causes cold-like symptoms including coughing, sneezing, runny nose and sometimes fever. Other viruses circulating include rhinovirus and Covid.

There were 134 surveillance samples from patients collected by GPs and community pharmacies in the most recent week. Of the 134 samples, 28 tested positive for rhinovirus, 14 for RSV, eight for mycoplasma, seven for SARS-CoV2, six for enterovirus, five for hMPV, two for adenovirus, one for bocavirus, one for influenza A(H3), one for influenza B..

People across the UK have been experiencing a "brutal" cold that feels like a flu and can last for weeks. Some people across the country are reporting symptoms of fever, headaches, blocked noses, coughs, and fatigue. For the latest health and Covid news, sign up to our newsletter here.

Many have taken to social media to share their symptoms and experiences. One person took to Reddit and wrote: "Just coming off the back end of a brutal cold that's lasted about three weeks, during which my sinuses have been almost completely closed, relaxing only for brief periods while also producing mucus at an alarming rate."

They added: "Emerging from my bed this morning, I could breathe through my nose again. I could smell things. It still feels like somebody poured Ready Brek into the back of my face, but it's finally over and life is beautiful again."

Another one replied with: "Currently on day 5 of it. Feel absolutely lousy. So much mucus it's ridiculous. Already feeling anxious about having to call in sick again tomorrow but I refuse to go back to work until I'm well enough. Won't get thanked for going in and certainly won't get thanked by colleagues if I spread this around. Just hoping I'm all clear for Christmas. Get well soon everyone."

Others took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to talk about their illness. One posted: "Its getting harder to get out of bed but needs must. Still got the dreaded lurgy so not feeling 100%. Another added: How it started vs how it is going. I had my combined Covid/ flu vaccine yesterday and already had a touch of the lurgy. Now I have full blown girl flu and feel dreadful."

According to the NHS, such colds include symptoms such as a cough, where you may bring up mucus (also known as phelgm), sneezing, a stuffy or runny nose, a sore throat, headaches, muscle aches, breathlessness, a tight chest or wheezing, high temperature and feeling generally unwell.

Here's everything you need to know to help you if you're currently experiencing a cold:

A pharmacist can suggest treatments to help relieve your symptoms, such as decongestants and nasal sprays. The NHS says people can also buy cough medicines and throat lozenges, "although theres little evidence to show they help" they've added.

The NHS recommends that you:

Whatever you do, you must not:

WalesOnline has launched a new breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community. From the biggest court stories to the latest traffic updates, weather warnings and breaking news, it's a simple way to stay up to date with what's happening in Wales.

Want to join? All you have to do is click on this link, select 'Join Community' and you're in. No one else in the community can see your personal information and you will only receive messages from the WalesOnline team. We will not spam your feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily.

If for some reason you decide you no longer want to be in our community, you can leave by clicking on the name at the top of your screen and clicking 'Exit Group'. You can read our Privacy Notice here.

Join our WhatsApp community here.

The rest is here:

Four different flu viruses circulating in Wales as people say 'brutal' symptoms last for weeks - Wales Online