A patient has revealed the hilarious flow chart his doctor uses to test whether people are suffering from flu or a common cold.
John Richards, a radio DJ from Seattle, posted the ‘My Flu Algorithm’ on Twitter, which asks readers if they feel they have been hit by a train.
If the answer is no, the ‘flu info from a literal doctor’ states they do not have the viral infection.
Responding yes without being involved in such a deadly accident, confirms a flu diagnosis.
In response to the post, which has been liked more than 9,500 times, other Twitter users share their ingenious ways of separating a common cold from flu, including whether you could get out off the sofa for £100.
This year’s H3N2 strain, also known as ‘Aussie flu’ has killed hundreds of Americans to date, including at least 50 adults in Dallas alone and more than 53 children nationwide.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this flu season is on track to becoming one of the worst in recent history.
In the UK, the flu outbreak, which is thought to be the worst in seven years, has reached a death toll of at least 231, however, officials claim the epidemic is ‘stabilising’.
The ‘flu info from a literal doctor’ asks sufferers if they feel like they have been hit by a train
Other flu ‘diagnosis’ methods
After sharing the ‘algorithm’ on January 29, the post, which has been retweeted more than 4,700 times, has inspired hundreds of responses.
One was told she had ‘the proper job’ after a doctor found her drenched in sweat and drifting in and out of consciousness.
Another recalled how she spent a week in a ‘fog’ and accidentally left her son at school after suffering a fever due to a flu infection.
A college professor even added how he suspected one of his students was suffering when they likened themselves to a ‘burning landfill site’.
An East-Sussex based GP diagnoses flu by asking if patients can get off the sofa for £100
One Twitter user wrote flu causes sufferers to not be able to move off the floor for a week
Another recalled a story of a doctor dismissing ‘flu’ patients who were able to stand up
During a visit to A&E, ‘sufferers’ were sent home if they had the energy to go the appointment
Flu stabilising in the UK
Last Friday, Dr Dan Jernigan, director of the CDC’s Influenza Division, said the flu epidemic in the US is unusual as health officials expected activity to have already reached its peak, yet it continues to get worse.
In the UK, at least 193 deaths have been recorded in England, 26 are known to have died in Scotland and 12 in Northern Ireland. No precise data exists for Wales.
Yet, as of last week, the number of people reporting flu-like symptoms fell for the first time this winter; halving in seven days.
How can flu be deadly?
Flu often leaves sufferers feeling nauseous, and riddled with a constant cough and runny nose.
Yet, in extreme cases it can be life-threatening.
Flu poses the biggest risks to the elderly, young children, pregnant women and those with a compromised immune system, such as people undergoing chemotherapy.
The infection can lead to pneumonia and trigger sepsis, which arises when the body’s immune response to an infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs.
The Aussie flu strain is considered notoriously difficult to combat, with doctors advising people reduce their risk of infection by being aware of the symptoms, such as muscle weakness, as well as maintaining good hygiene and being vaccinated.
WHY IS H3N2 CALLED AUSSIE FLU? HOW AUSTRALIA WAS ROCKED BY THE KILLER STRAIN THAT HAS SPREAD TO UK, US AND EUROPE
Some of the country’s A&E units had ‘standing room only’ after being swamped by more than 100,000 cases of the H3N2 strain
Australia – whose winter occurs during the British summer – had one of its worst outbreaks on record, with two and a half times the normal number of cases.
Some of the country’s A&E units had ‘standing room only’ after being swamped by more than 100,000 cases of the H3N2 strain.
The elderly with their compromised immune systems are particularly susceptible, and a spike in cases among young children has also been shown.
The flu season in the UK and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere tends to mirror what has happened in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere.
The same strains of the virus will circulate north in time for the British flu season, which typically begins in November and lasts until March.
Flu viruses are constantly changing proteins on their surface to avoid detection by the body’s immune system – making it more deadly.
This transformation is called an ‘antigenic shift’ if it’s large enough, and can lead to a pandemic. This was responsible for the swine flu outbreak in 2009.
The Aussie flu is transforming quickly, but not fast enough for experts to describe it as a shift. However, it is slowly building up immunity.