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68,000 surveys later: nearly half of us take flu-like illness straight to work or school

Qurexa Editorial Team18 October 20267 min read 0 0
68,000 surveys later: nearly half of us take flu-like illness straight to work or school

What happened

On 15 October 2026, the UK Health Security Agency published findings from FluSurvey, the UK's longest-running participatory surveillance system. Participatory means ordinary members of the public volunteer to report their symptoms every week, whether or not they see a doctor. The findings cover two full winter seasons, 2023-24 and 2024-25, and draw on more than 68,000 weekly symptom surveys. The headline number is 47%. Among people in work or education who had flu-like symptoms, nearly half missed work or school. Only 14% sought help from a GP or another healthcare service. Most people treated themselves at home. Most reported taking some medication, most commonly painkillers. And most said the illness disrupted their daily life. UKHSA also gave an update on the current picture. Dr Jamie Lopez-Bernal, a Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA, said flu "remains at low levels" in the past week's surveillance, and that an earlier rise had slowed. Covid-19 is also at low levels. UKHSA will track the major respiratory viruses through the winter. On vaccination, Dr Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services at NHS England, said: "More than 7 million children and adults have already had their flu vaccine." Dr Becki Green, Principal Scientist for Respiratory Viruses at UKHSA, said getting the flu vaccine is "so important", not only to protect against serious illness but to reduce the wider disruption to workplaces, the economy and education.

Why this matters

Flu is usually discussed as a hospital story: how many admissions, how many beds, how much pressure on A&E. This research is about something much more ordinary, and much bigger in numbers. Most people who get flu-like illness never appear in any hospital statistic. Only 14% of them contacted a healthcare service at all. They stayed home, took paracetamol and got on with it. That whole mass of illness is invisible to the usual counts, which is precisely why FluSurvey exists. And the cost of it is real. Nearly half of working and studying people with these symptoms lost time. Multiply that across a country over a winter and you have a very large amount of missed work, missed lessons, cancelled shifts and juggled childcare. There is also something worth sitting with in the other half of that figure. If 47% stayed off, then a majority of the rest went in while ill. Some had no choice. Many will have passed it on. That is the argument Dr Green is making about vaccination, and it is a slightly different argument from the usual one. The usual case is personal protection. The additional case here is that fewer infections mean fewer disrupted weeks for everyone around you.

What the evidence actually says

This is good data, and it is worth understanding its limits. FluSurvey relies on volunteers who sign up and report weekly. People who volunteer for health surveillance are not a perfect cross-section of the country. They tend to be more health-aware, and often more likely to be vaccinated, than the population as a whole. So the percentages describe this group well, and should be read as indicative rather than exact for everyone. "Flu-like symptoms" is also broader than flu. It means fever, cough, aches and similar, which can be caused by flu, Covid-19, RSV or a number of other viruses. These findings are about flu-like illness, not laboratory-confirmed influenza. The two seasons covered are 2023-24 and 2024-25. They are recent, but they are past seasons, not this one. UKHSA cites a DOI for the underlying research, 10.1371/journal.pdig.0001714, which indicates it has been published in a peer-reviewed journal. On the current season, "low levels" is the published assessment for the week in question, and the release gives no numerical activity figures. Low levels in mid-October is normal. Flu in the UK usually peaks between December and February, so this says nothing about how the winter will turn out. The NHS England figure of more than 7 million vaccinations covers children and adults together, with no breakdown given.

Qurexa perspective

The detail that stands out to us is the 14%. Most people with flu-like illness never contact a healthcare service, which means most of them manage it with whatever is in the kitchen cupboard. That is usually the right call. Flu is miserable and self-limiting for most healthy adults, and rest, fluids and paracetamol are genuinely the treatment. But it does put weight on the community pharmacy. A pharmacist is the one health professional most people with a winter virus actually speak to, often while buying something for it. That conversation is the moment to check whether an over-the-counter remedy clashes with prescribed medicines, which happens more often than people expect. Many cold and flu products contain paracetamol, so it is easy to double up without realising. Some decongestants are not suitable if you have high blood pressure. If you are in a higher-risk group, the calculation is different. Flu that is an inconvenience for a healthy 30-year-old can be serious for someone with a lung or heart condition, a weakened immune system, or diabetes. If that is you, the sensible plan is to know in advance who you will call and how you will get medicines if you cannot leave the house. Many community pharmacies, including ours across Lincolnshire, deliver, and it is far easier to arrange that before you are ill than during.

Practical advice

**Get your flu jab if you are eligible, and get it now.** It is free on the NHS for eligible groups, and more than 7 million people in England have already had theirs this year. Protection takes up to two weeks to build, and flu usually peaks after Christmas, so October and November are the right window. **Children can have the nasal spray instead of an injection.** No needle involved, which removes the main objection most children have. **Pharmacies offer flu jabs too.** You do not have to wait for a GP appointment. Many community pharmacies now vaccinate, and eligibility has been widened. **Stay home if you can when you have a fever.** Nearly half of people already do. If your workplace makes that hard, ask about working from home for a few days. **Check what is in your cold and flu remedy.** Many contain paracetamol. Taking one alongside paracetamol tablets risks an overdose. Ask your pharmacist if you are unsure, especially if you take prescribed medicines. **Rest, fluids, paracetamol or ibuprofen if suitable for you.** Antibiotics do not work on flu. Most people recover in about a week, though a cough can linger. **Know the warning signs.** Get urgent help for breathing difficulty, chest pain, coughing up blood, confusion, or symptoms that suddenly worsen after seeming to improve. Call 999 for severe breathing problems. Call NHS 111 if you are unsure, or if you are in a higher-risk group and feel unwell. **Sort out deliveries before you need them.** A plan made while well is worth more than one made at 3am with a temperature.

What to know

UKHSA's FluSurvey research, drawing on more than 68,000 weekly symptom surveys across the 2023-24 and 2024-25 winters, found that 47% of people in work or education with flu-like symptoms missed work or school, while only 14% contacted a GP or other healthcare service. Most managed at home, most took medication, usually painkillers, and most said their daily life was disrupted. The findings come from volunteers, so the exact percentages are indicative rather than a perfect national picture, and "flu-like illness" covers several viruses, not just flu. Right now UKHSA reports flu and Covid-19 at low levels, which is normal for mid-October; the UK peak is usually December to February. The practical takeaway is to use the window you have. Get the free jab if you are eligible, and remember a pharmacy can do it. Check what is already in your cold remedy before adding paracetamol. And if you are in a higher-risk group, decide now how you will get medicines and shopping if you cannot leave the house, rather than working it out while ill. Sources: UK Health Security Agency, "Data shows almost half of people with flu-like symptoms miss work or school", 15 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/data-shows-almost-half-of-people-with-flu-like-symptoms-miss-work-or-school; NHS, flu vaccine information, https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/flu-vaccine/; UK Health Security Agency, national flu and Covid-19 surveillance reports, https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/weekly-national-flu-reports This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional. If you feel seriously unwell, contact NHS 111, or call 999 in an emergency.

#flu#UKHSA#winter viruses#flu vaccine#workplace health#schools

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