Flu strikes every winter, but this year something seems to be different. A seasonal flu virus suddenly mutated in the summer. It appears to evade some of our immunity, has kick-started a flu season more than a month early, and is a type of flu that history suggests is more severe. The NHS has now issued a "flu jab SOS" as fears grow that this will add up to a brutal winter. There is a lot of nuance and uncertainty, but leading flu experts have told me they would not be shocked if this was the worst flu season for a decade.
Getty Images Parents are being urged to get their children vaccinated against flu over half-term as the NHS warned of rising cases of the disease. There is an early flu season, health officials say, and the latest data for England showed cases and hospitalisations were increasing. NHS England said many school children will have already received the vaccine at school but there are still options for those who have not, including pop-up clinics.