Health experts say the recent spike in flu cases is nothing out of the ordinary.<\/p>\n
Three times as many people went to hospitals with a winter illness in July compared to the year before. <\/p>\n
Public health physician Dr Jill Sherwood told Newshub the virus is changing, and catching people off-guard - but it appears worse than it really is. <\/p>\n
\"Although it seems bad they're three times higher, we've actually still only got what we would term low seasonal activity - last year we had unusually low activity.\" <\/p>\n
The flu virus that was circulating last year had not changed much in several years, she said. <\/p>\n
\"We had a lot of people who, either from vaccination or from having the illness in previous years, were immune.\" <\/p>\n
District Health Boards are advising people to visit their general practitioners in the first instance. <\/p>\n
Dr Sherwood advises people to wash their hands often, and stay home if unwell. <\/p>\n
Newshub. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Virus evolution behind spike in flu cases - Newshub<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Health experts say the recent spike in flu cases is nothing out of the ordinary. Continue reading