Got flu? You could infect 16,000 others

It is claimed one person with flu could cause more than 16,000 others to become infected within two weeks.

As winter approaches, a study has found more than a third of people could put themselves and others at risk because they think only people in vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, need the flu jab.

Flu expert Professor Andrew Easton, from the University of Warwick, said the impact could be widespread.

"There's economic and personal effects," he said. "People stay off work and if they do go in, they probably don’t work as efficiently as they normally do. And of course they're taking the risk of spreading the infection to others."