LEAVES NHS ON BRINK

peace” handshake has even been banned across churches in Northern Ireland due to the risk of infection.

Dr Scriven added: “The virus can spread quite easily, especially if someone has it and then boards a plane, it can spread rapidly from person to person across international borders and across the world.

“It’s a massive concern. We see new variants across several years but this is a particularly virulent one.

“The current drugs we have seem to be effective but more and more people are ending up in hospital and a particularly high number are ending up in intensive care.

“The standard flu drugs are working but it won’t cure the virus, it will just speed up the cure if you catch it early. Most hospitals will have a plan that is followed through for an infectious disease like this. Some hospitals are taking to putting patients in designated ‘flu wards’ to try and contain the virus. “At the moment this is very much like a normal winter with spikes in certain areas but if it keeps going over the next week and beyond it will transform into a particularly bad winter. “We are all holding our breath to see what will happen next.” Public Health England has advised hospitals across the country to be on alert for any change in the situation. People have been advised to self-medicate wherever possible and stay off work if their job involves contact with vulnerable people such as children or the elderly. Doctors Number of hospital admissions due to the deadly flu strain H3N2 have also stressed that it is not too late for people to have the flu jab.

Nick Phin, the interim deputy director for National Infection Service, said: “Flu activity, as measured by a number of systems, has continued to increase in the last week or two.

“We will continue to monitor flu activity and are working closely with NHS England to support their work putting measures in place to manage potential increases in local and national flu activity.

“It is not too late to get vaccinated and we therefore urge all who are eligible, especially those in at-risk groups that include people aged 65 years or over, pregnant women and those with certain chronic conditions, to take up the offer of the vaccine.” Some 55,000 operations have been cancelled as hospitals struggle to

cope with the surge in patients. Affected areas Areas with no cases reported: Dorset, Ilford in East London and the City of London