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LAST UPDATE | 9 Jan 2018
IT’S FLU SEASON and cases of influenza-like illnesses have risen since the end of last year.
The addition of the Australian flu hasn’t helped matters as hospitals and GP services struggle to maintain the flow of patients.
Dr Ray Walley, North Dublin GP and IMO GP Committee Member, says GPs are “run off their feet” with the amount of patients coming in with the flu.
“It’s definitely busier than other years – we’ve needed more staff than ever before.”
The Australian flu is also complicating matters. When it hit Australia in 2009 vaccines were only around 30-40% effective against it.
So what can you do to keep yourself well this flu season?
The HSE says the seasonal flu can give you these kinds of symptoms:
Symptoms will usually reach their peak after a couple of days and you should begin to feel much better within a week’s time, though lingering side effects like fatigue and a cough might persist.
Like you would expect: from the millions of tiny droplets that come out when you sneeze or someone coughs. The flu virus contained in the droplets can survive away from the body for up to 24 hours.
If they land on your office computer keyboard, touching that surface can spread the virus around when you then touch something else.
Lots of rest seems to be the only sure cure. Take paracetamol-based over-the-counter medicines to lower your temperature and help with pain relief.
Don’t forget to drink plenty of fluids while taking to bed for the two or three days you might need to shake it.
Parents with children who have flu-like symptoms are urged to keep their kids at home so they can recover and keep it contained.
At-risk groups
The following groups have a greater chance of developing complications and serious illness from the flu:
Both the HSE and Dr Walley urge people to get the flu vaccine even if you have already had the flu. Due to the various strains of it currently going around you can get hit twice despite already been sick.
Dr Walley also states that antibiotics do not cure the flu and could lead to avoidable side effects that could make you feel more unwell.
“If you haven’t been vaccinated get it done now,” he said.
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Glad all is well!! Wouldn’t like a case of the Christmas fear on that plane..
When I was flying home for Christmas this time last year and waiting to board the plane, I was looking out the terminal window and decided to Wikipedia the model of the plane I was about to fly on, read through its details and then got to the “Incidents” section, decided to keep on reading through all the “incidents”. I consider myself a very comfortable flyer normally but my god that flight was horrendous.. Thought the plane was done for about 50 times, the women next to me must have though I was about to hijack the plane I was so fidgety the entire flight. So a good tip for everyone flying home, don’t look up the crash history of the plane your about to fly on!
I am flying home tomorrow from Edinburgh to Cork on the same model as the one above that caught fire. It’s becoming tradition at this stage to scare myself before the flight. Hello airport bar.
What type of plane was it ?
ATR 72 i believe
It’s a Bombarider Q400
That’s the one Gary. Enjoy the read Tony.
Sorry its a de Havilland Canada DHC-8-402 Q400 not a ATR 72
The one in the story is a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400
Spot on Seanie
@Patrick. What kind of bird was it you flew on? Jon Snow believes that just because an Airbus A320 was in a crash it does not mean the A320 is an unsafe aircraft, it might mean that the a320 in question was very old, had poor maintenance, flying somewhere in sub saharan africa were there are no air safety regulations.
Regularly did Edinburgh Cork route this year too. Like a flying matchbox. Very susceptible to turbulence. Great Craic ha
Ah, Happy days then.
You know nothing Jon Snow..
(ATR 72)
I know somewhat Lord Bateman. May the 7 watch over you.
Sound and you too bud
Valium!!!
Patrick you will not be flying to Cork from Edinburgh on the same type of aircraft.
Indeed we call,then flying washing machines , they vibrate and jump around the sky as small planes do and it’s real flying . We flew into cork on one of them yokes and hit wind sheer and boy did that pilot swing it about so that for the last few 100 feet I could see all the way up the runway from my seat at the back of the plane and the pilot was way over to my right , and at last minute squared it off on the runway . To say I was a bit excited would be not exaggerating and I fly regularly but on bigger stuff. Remember we are only 100 years from doing a hop skip and a jump on a cloth covered latice work plane , now we have bars , showers so we are doing well .
‘Because there was no chute’. It’s 3 feet off the ground ffs….
Evacuating a couple of hundred people out of a tin can in a couple of minutes is no easy feat, no matter how close you are to the ground.
While true, this aircraft was a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 which can carry in the largest version only 86 people.
Neal, it’s not a large jet. It’s a Dash 8 Q400 which can take 78 passengers. If it wasn’t possible to evacuate the plane safely, then the plane wouldn’t be allowed to fly in the EU.
This Mark
Engine fire, cut off power to engine, put out fire in engine, call for emergency landing, land plane on one engine. No problem to pilots they train for this and it’s an automatic reaction. Very scary for passengers though. Big problem for planes is not being to identify source of cabin smoke
Sorcery
Engineering Jon Snow. Designed to fly with one engine out. Flying with 2 engines out – now that’s sorcery. Unless it’s a 4 engined aircraft……then we’re back to engineering.
Blood magic is what it is. Jon Snow says NO!
Well done to the Pilot’s – anyone that call them flying bus drivers is an idiot.
Who flys a purple private plan
Dirk Diggler that’s who !
I’ve flown flyby several times and ive never enjoyed it. The planes are always the propeller ones and everything rattles so much, you start wondering is it safe. There’s no chute as they are so close to the ground, there’s only 2 steps to the plane.
That’s because their fleet are made of mostly turboprops. The fact they have propellors doesn’t mean the aircraft themselves are old WWII aircraft. In fact their fleet is a lot younger than most airlines you’ve probably flown with. Props are inherently noisier but the inner engine workings are the exact same as jet engine. They’re used by airlines,like Flybe, because of their fuel efficiency on the type of routes they operate.
The majority of their fleet is the Dash 8 which is a prop. They have a few jets but they are rarely used on routes to Ireland. They are not old, they are newer than most aircraft that other airlines have, and they are louder because of the propeller.
Well I won’t fly with them again
I never had an on time flight, there was always engine problems and the worse one was being delayed by 8 hours on Christmas eve
So all several times you travelled with them they had engine problems? Are you sure you’re not cursed?
If there is always engine problems for you, then you must be cursed! It is rare for engine failures to happen now with the modern engines, it was common in the past, which is one of the reasons why nearly all aircraft had 3 or 4 engines. As for the delay, it could have been caused by weather, and could happen any airline or aircraft.
Hmm… actually these aircraft would be more susceptible to weather delays then say an A320 so he could have a point.
Wonderful article to read whilst on the way to the airport to fly home for Christmas!!
Why land at an airport further away when you are on fire??
Look at the map shown, it is way closer to Belfast than any other airport.
There’s a range of reasons. The runway at Belfast City airport is a lot shorter than Aldergrove. Aldergrove is only a matter of minutes away anyway. Some aircraft types need to be configured differently for landing in the event of an engine shut down. This is to reduce the drag as the aircraft now has half the thrust available. This reduction in drag will increase the landing distance especially if the runway is wet and the aircraft is heavy. This may be one reason why the crew opted for Aldergrove.
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