Somehow got my family enlisted on the UK’s Flu Watch program. The scheme, which has members of the public monitoring their colds, sore throats, and flu symptoms is being run by University College London with various eminent medical organisations as partners.
Having been invited to join by our family doctor, I registered online and within a few days a package of information, nasal swabs, viral media, mini thermometers, and consent forms with a nice pen all arrived safely in the post today.
They’ll send us an email each Sunday to report on the previous week’s symptoms and to let them know if any of us have had a flu vaccination that week. So, the first week I had nothing to report, but today I received the H1N1 vaccination (asthma-related approval) of Pandemrix (left me with a bit of a sore arm, nothing more) and so that will have to be reported next Sunday.
I’ll be keeping you informed of happenings over the coming weeks, unless any of us get so ill that I’m unable to blog…but I don’t think I’ve missed a week through illness since I started on the web back in 1996, so fingers crossed…