Most worrying is the fact that many people are unaware how the flu can lead to life-threatening medical complications.

As anyone over 65 will be aware, there is a vaccine (or “flu jab”) available on the NHS, with a new one developed every year to tackle the most prevalent strains of the virus. According to recent reports, though, a Korean pharmaceutical company called Celltrion is close to finalising a universal influenza treatment that would be effective in fighting off a variety of different strains – including the deadly avian (or “bird flu”) subtypes. The medicine, an antibody labelled as CT-P27, is currently being prepared for another phase of trials, and has already been shown to fight off strains of the virus that are resistant to existing antivirals.

If these upcoming trials are successful, Celltrion is hoping that their antibody will be fast-tracked onto the market – however, it’s unclear how long that will take. What is clear is that until an effective universal influenza treatment is made widely available, more education into the risks of flu is needed. In 2015, the number of flu-related deaths in the UK hit a 12-year high.

Causes & Symptoms of Influenza

The flu is caused by a group of viruses that all attack the body in the same way. Certain strains are worse than others, and as a group the viruses have a more severe effect on the body than any of the cold viruses.

Influenza is spread through the droplets expelled from the nose and mouth of an infected person when they sneeze or cough. You can take in the virus by breathing in these droplets, or by touching a contaminated surface and then touching your mouth or nose. The virus is very infectious, and outside of the body it can survive for up to 24 hours. This is why it’s important to wash your hands frequently, and keep surfaces clean, if you are around someone who is infected.

Once inside the body, the flu starts to cause symptoms within a few days. Unlike the common cold, it tends to come on quickly and prevents you from taking part in your regular daily activities.

The main symptoms of influenza are:

• Fever
• Chills
• Feeling tired and weak
• Headache
• Aches and pains
• Chesty cough

Some people experience the symptoms of the common cold (sneezing, blocked nose, sore throat) and others may feel sick, vomit and have diarrhoea. Whatever your symptoms, they should start to pass within a week – if they don’t start to get better or if they worsen over time, it’s important to see a doctor.

Influenza Treatment

The recommended treatment for influenza is usually self-care at home. If you have the flu but you’re otherwise healthy, you should be able to treat your symptoms by doing the following:

• Staying home from work
• Resting
• Keeping warm
• Drinking plenty of water
• Self-medicating with over-the-counter painkillers

Antibiotics are ineffective in treating viral infections such as influenza. However, antivirals such as Tamiflu or Relenza can be prescribed; this sort of treatment usually shortens the illness by a couple of days.

If you’re self-treating at home and you start having chest pains, experiencing shortness of breath or coughing up blood you should see a doctor immediately as this is a sign that the illness has progressed and requires medical attention.

High-Risk Groups for Influenza

There are several groups that are particularly high-risk for influenza complications:

• Over-65s
• Pregnant women
• Anyone with an existing lung, heart, kidney, liver or neurological disease
• Anyone with diabetes
• Anyone with a weakened immune system (e.g. from HIV or chemotherapy)
• Anyone with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

It’s advised that the people in these groups receive their annual flu vaccination, making sure that they get it every single year to update their immunity to various strains.

To find out more about influenza and the antivirals that can be prescribed for its treatment, consult this information page from Private Doctor Direct.

What Are The Symptoms Of Chlamydia?

Although not frequently reported, the following are some of the symptoms that will help you in determining the presence of Chlamydia in your body. These are noticeable within a week of infestation with the bacteria. Also, the symptoms are different for men and women.

Symptoms in Women

• Abnormal vaginal discharge
• Odor in vaginal discharge
• Abnormal bleeding
• Painful periods
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Itching around or inside the vagina
• Pain during urination
• Pain in abdomen with fever

Symptoms in Men

• Small discharge of clear or cloudy fluid from the penis
• Burning sensation on the skin of the scrotum
• Itching on the skin of the penis
• Pain in the testicles
• Swelling in the loins

What Are The Diagnostic Tools Used For Indicating The Presence Of Chlamydia?

Your doctor will use a few tests that will help determine whether you have this infection or not. Your doctor will take a clean swab and take a sample from your genital area. For females, this will consist of the cervical secretion present on the inner and the outer lips of the labia. For the men, a sample of the fluid from the tip of the penis or the urethra will be obtained. This sample is then sent to the lab to be analyzed for the presence of Chlamydia.

Other tests require urine samples, which indicate the presence or the absence of the parasitic bacteria.

What Are The Treatments Available?

The most common treatment option is the prescription of antibiotics. Your doctor will give you Azithromycin (Zithromax) or Doxycycline. It is important to note that your partner will also require treatment for this parasite, since sexual contact is one of the leading factors in the spread of this disease. This move will also ensure that you do not get re-infected with the disease.

Once you have started taking your antibiotics, you will notice that the infection has subsided within the next three to four days. However, it is important that you continue taking your antibiotics for the complete week.

For some women who have a severe infection of Chlamydia, hospitalization is advised. This is important to tackle a list of medical complaints that arise as a result of this infection. Intravenous antibiotics are given to these women along with high potency pain medications.

Once the antibiotic treatment has been completed, you will be re-tested for the infection to make sure all the traces of the parasite have been eliminated. It is advised that you do not engage in any sexual intercourse until you are sure that you and your partner are completely free of the disease.

Chlamydia Home Testing

Since, this disease is symptomless, it is very difficult to detect. However, if you are sexually active and would like to keep track of your sexual health, Chlamydia home testing kits are available to help you detect the presence of these bacteria in your body.

For men, this kit is a simple urine test. You just have to send in your sample to the lab with a prepaid envelope to a partner lab of the service you are using.

For women, the home test kit is comprised of a swab test. This looks like a long cotton bud. You will also get an illustration showing how to carry out the test. You have to wipe your cervix with the swab and then insert it into a sterile tube provided in the test. Send this with a prepaid envelope to your concerned lab.

This test is 99.99% accurate. You will obtain the results within 2-3 days of sample submission.

Home testing is available from many reputable websites, including www.theGUMclinic.com

One important tip is to keep your sleeping patters as fixed as possible. Unfortunately, that does include sleeping and wake up at the same time on the weekends too. Take naps if necessary instead of waking up too late and further pushing your bedtime to a later time. Being smart about taking naps is important, as sleeping too much could be making the problem worse instead of regulating it especially if you already suffer from insomnia. You can regulate your sleeping patters naturally by getting as much light as possible in the day time and reducing light exposure at night. So, try not to stay in a dimmed or low light environment during the day, and during the night try avoid any bright lights like a television, an iPad or your mobile phone and make sure it is dark when it is time to sleep.

Another tip is to be careful with what you eat and drink before bed time. Many may think that alcohol is a good way to put you to sleep. However alcohol reduces sleep quality, ultimately not allowing you to rest as well as your body needs. Additionally, big meals right before bedtime is another culprit of bad sleep quality. In this instance your body will be too busy working on digestion than focusing on sleep mode. I think it goes without saying that caffeine before bedtime will keep you awake all night. What you may not know, however, is that caffeine will continue to work for up to 12 hours after drinking. So, if you’re a regular caffeine drinker after a late lunch or dinner, this could be the reason why you are unable to fall asleep. You can get more helpful sleep tips here.

If after trying all the self-help advice provided you find you are still having difficulty with sleep you should see a doctor to find out if you have an underlying problem. You should also be wary if you have frequent headaches after waking up, inability to move once you have woken up or when trying to sleep, physically acting out dreams or falling asleep at inappropriate times. However, if you are traveling and suffering from jetlag, you could be prescribed some medication to help with falling asleep. Melatonin is the medication of choice to help with jet lag and you can get this online here.

1.  Always feel safe: if you don’t feel safe, don’t follow him/her. Don’t think about how you will look to him/her and do not fall into peer pressure. You must be comfortable at all times and never feel threatened by anyone. Remember: if you don’t feel safe, you will not enjoy anything.
2. Have a backup: backup plans are great for when you need to leave an uncertain situation. Always think of one. Have a trusted person on your phone that you can call at all times.
3. Know where your medical centre is: it is important that you always know where the hospital is and where your uni medical centre is. Just in case.
4. Say what you want to: make your partner understand what you like and what you do not like. Ask them to slow down if necessary and feel comfortable with them. No one is pointing a gun at you: do only what you feel up to doing.
5. Alcohol or drugs: If you do not feel yourself because you are either too drunk or you think someone has put something in your drink, go home. Do not do things that you will regret in the morning.
6. Know them a little bit: before falling onto a bed, just know them a bit. This will lead to way less awkward moments, more intimacy and more relaxed foreplay.
7. Be safe: if you do not want to get pregnant or get anyone pregnant, always carry a condom and use any of your other preferred method of contraception. Be responsible.
8. Check: remember that many methods of contraception will not stop you from getting STIs (sexually transmitted infections)! Hence, it is very important that, if you are sexually active, you

• Talk to your partner about STIs
• Go to a clinic to get tested regularly

1. Ask: there are a lot of services in place where you can go and ask if you have any doubts about your sexual health or your health in general. Do not be put off as their job is to help you!
2. Enjoy: do not have a relationship because you need one. Do not get into bed with anyone because “otherwise he/she will leave me”. Do not do it for your friends or for anyone else. Safe sex also means doing it when you are ready, without any type of social constraints. If he/she’s not the one, then don’t! The right one will come along. You fully enjoy it only if you do it because you want to, and you will avoid any emotional psychological problems as well.

For more info on sexual health, check out our dedicated page.

In fact, 40 students from each of the two universities were tracked, interviewed and matched by degree and sex. The researchers have found out that their involvement and activities in the Universities were different and that one of the factors that most influenced their experience was still money. In fact, many middle-school students would go off to do extra-curricular activities, while working-class students wouldn’t so much and would rather get a job to support themselves while studying.

The findings are interesting also because middle-class students tended to think of university as a given, while working-class students would weigh the pros and cons of being a student versus immediately start working. However, the experience that working-class students would get from handling severe financial responsibilities at times is thought to be very helpful for their future career and their personal development.

Many students were also recorded as talking in the interviews about the worries of having a full CV so to boost their chances once leaving the university.

This study is interesting in understanding that even today, the financial situation of young students walking into universities may really affect their development and their overall social experience while studying. Hence, studying the same subject does not mean having the same experience. It would be interesting if future research would follow-up these students and careers and find out what happens once they are out of Uni. Further studies could also analyse several other factors and deepen the understanding of whether students actually get to share experiences and talk amongst themselves, outside of their own social class group.