People across Manchester say they've been floored by a winter lurgy that's made them feel worse than when they had Covid.
Residents say they have been testing for the virus after suffering Covid-like symptoms, but in the majority of cases it's coming back negative.
Some have said it's left them 'bed-bound' for a fortnight, with symptoms including a cough, temperature and feeling achy and lethargic.
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Responding to a post on our Manchester Family Facebook page, we were inundated with responses from people, many of whom have 'been bad for weeks'.
"That was me last week," said Bernadette Upton. "Really bad headache, cough, lost my taste and smell and kept getting a negative result."
"Absolutely awful, I was in bed almost a full week with it, knocked me right off my feet still not 100 percent," said Sally Fisher.
While some said it sounds like your typical cold or flu you would get in winter, those who have been poorly said it's felt much worse.
Clur Rosbottom said: "I had it for 3 1/2 weeks and it was worse than when I had Covid last Christmas."
And Keeley Sutton said: "Second week of it for me, which has now developed into a chest infection. On antibiotics and been given an inhaler. I wasn’t this poorly with Covid."
It's common to get colds, flu and respiratory illnesses in the winter months, but health bosses say it's important to monitor your symptoms to assess whether you have a more serious illness that may need treating with antibiotics.
Bolton GP, Dr Helen Wall, believes the spike in illnesses is due to a number of factors.
"I think it’s the triple whammy of return to social mixing after restrictions so people's immune systems getting flexed, rise of previously quiet bugs due to lift in restrictions like flu and the cold weather and people not able to afford to stay warm," she said.
She said lots of people were still wearing masks last December due to Omicron and mass events have only resumed this Christmas, which will have also had an impact.
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