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Publications

Patient flu resources

These leaflets and films have been designed to deepen your understanding of flu and to help with the practicalities of dealing with the virus, should you or your family become infected.

To view the leaflets, you will need Adobe®, Acrobat® Reader™ plug-in installed in your browser. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader, follow the link to download it for free.

To view the films, you will require Flash5 or Quicktime5 to be installed on your computer. These applications can downloaded for free at the links above.

Leaflets and posters

Flu: don't surrender leaflet

This leaflet explains the importance of acting quickly once flu is suspected and advises on the best course of action should you or a member of your family become infected.

Flu: don't surrender poster

Download this poster to remind you to take flu seriously during the flu season.

Flu FACTS cards

Of course, only your doctor or healthcare professional can make an accurate flu diagnosis, but understanding flu symptoms can help protect you and your family. If you’re concerned about recognising flu, download these cards to remind you of the principal signs and symptoms of the disease.

Flu versus cold leaflet

It can be difficult to distinguish between flu and a bad cold. This leaflet lists the signs and symptoms of each virus to help you recognise when you or your family might be facing the challenge of flu.

Educational films

What is flu?

This film illustrates how the virus is spread and causes the symptoms we experience when we are ill with flu.

What causes flu?

This film shows how the flu virus infects cells and spreads through the body.

Adaptability of flu viruses

This film shows how flu viruses change each year and what this means for vaccine development.

Diagnosis of flu

This film describes the symptoms you may experience if infected with flu. It also gives an insight into how national surveillance programmes track the spread of the disease.

Treatments of flu

This film shows how new treatments reduce the severity of symptoms and shorten the duration of time people are ill with flu.

  • "I would describe flu as something that makes you feel very, very ill. You get a headache, aching bones, and are generally fed up"
  • "When I get flu symptoms I feel like a train has run over me"
  • "I felt very sick and, during the first week, I had high temperature. Flu was very different to a cold. I went back to work after two and a half weeks. Then I suffered a setback for another week"
  • "I run a guesthouse; flu would be a real pest for me. I couldn’t cook, I shouldn’t cook, and I wouldn’t cook, so I would need to get a lot of extra help in. It would cost me a lot more money. So flu’s a real problem, a right downturn"
  • "I work on my own and when I can’t work, I have to try not to infect my little children, so they avoid getting the flu as well"
  • "I feel a little numb, like I’m in another dimension. Because in general I have sore throat, headache, I feel all clogged-up. Usually a sensation like I’m floating in the air"
  • "Shivers, sweats, makes you ache. Last time I had flu I was off for two weeks"
  • "I think that I would probably be concerned that I would pass flu onto my children, who might not be able to deal with it as well as I would"
  • "Flu makes you feel like you’ve been hit over the head with a baseball bat. You don’t feel like you can get yourself out of bed as all your energy is drawn from you"
  • "I was incapable of working. It just wasn’t possible at all… and my flu dragged on for more than a week"
  • "I have no strength. It annoys me because I can do nothing, it seems like I’m wasting my time"
  • "Flu’s like being hit by a truck because you feel completely gone. There is no energy left in your body. You are suffering from high temperature. You’re sweating a lot and you feel really unwell"
  • "First of all infinite tiredness, then I feel like sleeping and don’t want to eat"
  • "I felt really miserable because my muscles and my bones were aching. Well, I can hardly describe it, I just felt really awful, absolutely miserable"
  • "It’s like there’s something huge treading on your head, like a deafening noise that destroys the eardrums"
  • "The fever was constantly rising – I immediately measured my temperature as soon as I got home. It was 41°C and it kept rising and I was wondering what’s going on. I was really scared! Everything was hurting and it all happened so fast. Flu came out of the blue"
  • "I always feel like my limbs have iron weights tied to them and I’m going to fall over any minute, a really stuffy runny nose and feel antisocial"
  • "I was totally dependent on others! I was incapable of doing anything at all"
  • "The real flu knocks you for six – you just don’t want to move or do anything. It’s not very nice"
  • "Not being able to go to work. Not being able to do the things I have to do at home and the commitments that I have day by day"