'Brutal' cold affecting people in the UK is leaving many ill for weeks
A 'brutal' cold has swept across the UK in the past month and it's leaving sufferers housebound for weeks.
It wouldn't be the winter season without people catching a cold would it?
The nasty virus has people feeling symptoms including fevers, headaches, blocked noses, coughs and extreme fatigue.
And those among the UK population who have been affected have taken to Reddit to share just how bad it's been.
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And it's fair to say it's not very pretty.
One person wrote: "Just coming off the back end of a brutal cold that's lasted about 3 weeks, during which my sinuses have been almost completely closed, relaxing only for brief periods while also producing mucus at an alarming rate.
"Emerging from my bed this morning, I could breathe through my nose again. I could smell things.
"It still feels like somebody poured Ready Brek into the back of my face, but it's finally over and life is beautiful again."
Another user agreed, saying: "I caught it in October, I was bedridden for days and then spent another week housebound, constantly looking at my phone to see if it had been 4 hours since my last dose of paracetamol."
They then went onto to say it was 'worse than any winter bug I'd had before 2020'.
And a third added: "It's been a total b******, had me in bed for a couple of days and feeling s*** for a couple of weeks now.
"I can totally recommend Otrivine nasal spray for the blocked nose/sinus bit though."
According to experts, colds are now more severe now than in previous years, so why have we been left feeling worse than ever?
During the earlier stages of the pandemic, social distancing and wearing masks kept pesky viruses away, so perhaps we may have forgotten how miserable having a cold can be after a few years without getting sick.
"All of us have forgotten about what common colds used to be like, and we're getting them now again," Dr. William Schaffner, infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University, told ABC News in February.
On top of this, when you haven't had been bedridden with a cold for a while then your immunity to the virus decreases, making it feel like the worst thing in the world.
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, professor of Medicine and Infectious disease specialist at UCSF, told the publication: "Lack of exposure to viruses over time might make a cold seem much worse than before, because you haven't been exposed a little bit along the way."
But, while that makes complete sense, it certainly doesn't make us feel any better.
As for how to fight off a nasty cold?
The NHS's official advice is to get plenty of rest, drink lots of water, and drink a hot lemon and honey drink to soothe a cough.
For anyone feeling sick, get well soon!
Bec Oakes