Brace yourselves: Second flu outbreak in Malta set to hit one in four of us

If you’ve just got over that stubborn cold and you’re thinking ‘aah, it’s finally all over for this winter season’, you might want to think again.

Speaking in parliament on Monday, health minister Chris Fearne warned that the next flu strain is expected to hit the Maltese islands sooner than you think.

Health experts have said that the stronger flu strain B hit first this winter season, whilst strain A is just starting to affect people.

This could cause the two strains to overlap and means that some of us may be hit with the flu twice since contracting one strain does not protect you from the other.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. has said that the outbreak of strain B hasn’t been this bad in almost 30 years.

Due to the large numbers of people currently battling the flu or the common cold, blood donations have halved which means that non-urgent operations at Mater Dei hospital have had to be postponed due to the blood shortage.

This led the Blood Transfusion Centre to make a public request for blood donations with an urgent need for O Positive, and O and A negative blood.

So if you’re one of the many battling the flu, don’t forget to stay hydrated, rest up and keep warm – and contact your doctor if your symptoms don’t ease in a few days!