Immune health

Last winter was an improvement for colds and ‘flu in the UK compared with 2015/16. Public Health England (PHE) might put that down to the ‘flu jab programme but it might also be that the public is taking a keener interest in looking after their health.

“Moderate levels of influenza activity were seen in the community with influenza A(H3N2) the dominant circulating virus for the majority of the season,” says PHE’s report. Outbreaks peaked in the first week of January 2017.

The impact was predominantly seen in older adults, with a consistent pattern of outbreaks in care homes. This impact was “moderate” in England and Wales and low in Northern Ireland and Scotland. Peak admissions to hospital and intensive care units were lower than the previous season.