A Melbourne athlete who has been hospitalized after suffering a bout of “superflu” has warned Australians that they could catch them in the worst possible way, no matter how healthy they are.
Entrepreneur and athlete Lewis Phillips, 23, is usually considered a health and wellness portrait – he’s very athletic, and he’s the co-founder of a sports company.
But a bout of the flu left Mr Phillips bedridden and in a hospital drip last week, as doctors warned that the flu was back with a vengeance this winter after two years of safe COVID measures.
Mr. Phillips said his experience began as a regular bout of the flu – but when it got tough he knew he needed the help of medical professionals.
Young fitness entrepreneur, Louis Phillips (pictured) spent a day in hospital with the “superflu” that worried doctors even more this winter
Mr. Phillips shared his Tik Tok online with the caption “Ayyo this super flu almost hit me” after being hospitalized with the flu
Mr Phillips (pictured) said the ‘normal flu’ soon became so difficult that he had to undergo an intravenous drip of his body to recover fluids.
“It started as a flu and a normal fever but it didn’t seem to be getting better,” he said.
I couldn’t get any fluids or food which also means not taking panadol or ibuprofen. Then of course it only made my headache worse and my general condition deteriorated.
“My energy was so low, I could hardly stand or walk.”
Mr Phillips said he was coughing all the time, had a bad headache and “can’t see really well”.
It felt like my eyes were crossing. “I would feel very tired after doing really easy things like filling a bottle of water,” he said.
As his early symptoms gradually became more severe and dangerous, Mr. Phillips took himself to the hospital.
Mr. Phillips (pictured) leads an active lifestyle and runs a health company NineToFive Fitness with a friend, who wasn’t expecting to be hit so hard in his flu bout
Mr. Phillips (pictured left) leads an active and healthy lifestyle, and a struggle with influenza is usually out of the question.
I was sure it was the flu, but I wasn’t sure how strong it was.
As I continued to refuse, I was getting more and more anxious, it was something else. Not sure what I thought it was, but I knew he needed someone with medical knowledge to check it out.
Mr. Phillips went to the hospital on Thursday. He went through two bags of IV to raise his fluid levels.
Because of his symptoms, he had hardly consumed anything in 48 hours.
I got a direct drop and started feeling better. My fault was a lack of fluids early on, I wish I drank more water, Gatorade, and general electrolytes.
Mr. Phillips (pictured in hospital) did not know how far the flu could spread to him and began to worry as his condition continued to deteriorate.
My temperature rose from 39.5 to 38.5 degrees in two hours. The nurses and doctors are real legends, they worked so fast.
Mr Phillips was released from hospital late Thursday night and says he is feeling much better now.
His story is one that many Australians have already encountered. Dr Kerry Chant, NSW’s chief health officer, said on Thursday that flu cases had already risen rapidly this year.
“There were 2,000 new cases of influenza reported in NSW in the week ending May 7, 2022, compared to 1,024 cases in the previous week, plus about 60 emergency department presentations of influenza-like illness requiring admission to hospital,” Dr Chant said. She said.
“Severe flu” and “severe cold”
Doctors have warned that ‘severe’ colds and flu will spread across Australia next winter in the wake of the Covid lockdowns.
Doctors urged the public to take advantage of influenza vaccinations,
Last November, the so-called ‘sever cold’ first appeared in the UK, with victims experiencing flu-like symptoms or coronavirus but repeatedly testing negative for Covid.
Now as Daily Mail Australia reported earlier this year, a similar outbreak is happening in Australia.
The symptoms of “superflu” are similar to those of the common cold, flu and Covid – which can be hard to tell apart.
“We’re seeing more of these upper respiratory infections,” University of Sydney physician Charlotte Hesby told Daily Mail Australia.
There were 2,000 new cases of flu in NSW in the week ending May 7, 2022, compared to 1,024 the week before (Pictured: Mr Phillips in hospital during his grueling flu career)
‘Extreme cold’ spreads in Australia two years after Covid isolation, leaving the nation vulnerable to a host of new diseases as the country reopens
A cold is a classic upper respiratory viral infection – nervous sneezing, lots of fluid from your nose, cough, sore throat, runny eyes, sticky eyes.
You might also get a kind of rough cough but that’s pretty much it. You should recover within five to seven days.
But she warned Australia was ready for a flu outbreak – and It is very difficult to tell the difference between influenza and the Omicron Covid strain with its milder symptoms.
The symptoms are similar to those of flu and Covid, and can be hard to tell apart, but doctors say even severe colds shouldn’t be as severe as the flu, warns Dr Charlotte Hesby, MD, a Sydney doctor.
“We will see the flu appear more often,” she said. “
“The flu is very annoying.
It is similar to the symptoms of Covid. You get headaches, aches, pains and fever.
To be diagnosed with the flu, you need a fever and headache as well as some respiratory symptoms such as a sore throat or nose and cough – but you may not have these.
The most common systemic symptoms of malaise are often fever, headache, aches and pains, and malaise. The recovery period ranges from 10 to 14 days.
The telltale signs, such as a loss of taste and smell, are often only symptoms of Covid that can distinguish them from influenza. The results of a rapid antigen test or PCR are still the best way to identify Covid.
But GPs are now warning that Australia has never been more susceptible to colds and flu than it is now after being cut off from the rest of the world for so long.
Pandemic travel bans along with lockdown measures and mask mandates have dramatically reduced our immunity to influenza and the common cold.
Australia is primed for a flu outbreak, doctors warn, and it’s hard to tell the difference between the flu and the Omicron Covid strain with its mild symptoms.
Pandemic travel bans along with lockdown measures and mask mandates have dramatically reduced our immunity to the flu and the common cold.
“The people we’ve been protecting from for the past two years are traveling again,” Dr. Hesby added.
Professor Catherine Bennett has warned that the flu may kill more people than Covid this year
“They bring with them viruses that are circulating in the countries of the winter that are not prevalent here.”
There are even concerns that the flu may kill more people than Covid this year.
“We have less immunity to influenza now because we have skipped two influenza seasons,” warned epidemiologist Professor Catherine Bennett.
You may see fewer deaths from the coronavirus in the winter because people at risk are actually more likely to get the flu.
Health chiefs began a flu shot campaign within weeks, but medics worry that vaccine fatigue will prevent many from getting vaccinated.
“We have a vaccine and it’s very effective,” Dr. Hesby said.
“But I hear a lot of people saying, ‘For goodness sake, I’m sick of this…’ Please don’t think so — it really does give you really good protection.”
I’m sure we’ll be having a particularly cold and flu season this year.
I recommend everyone to continue to wear face masks when you are in crowded situations – especially when you are near anyone who may not be feeling well.
“And if you develop symptoms, stay home and don’t go and pass it on to someone else.”
