It's the disease everyone's talking about and nobody hopes they'll get.

Aussie Flu is sweeping the country - and numbers of sufferers being admitted to A&E are on the rise.

A dad who was left housebound after catching the disease says his eyes felt like they were being 'crushed in a vice'.

Mark Wilde, 51, told the Mirror he was struck down on New Year's Eve and was unable to eat or walk.

His fiancee Clare Roberts, 45, and 22-year-old stepdaughter both caught the bug.

However Mr Wilde's five-year-old son Charlie, who had the flu jab last year, has suffered no more than a temperature.

Mark Wilde said he was in constant pain with Aussie Flu

The rest of the Warrington family suffered a high fever, aching muscles, chest pains and struggled to move around.

Mr Wilde said: "My eyes felt like someone had them in a vice. I had no energy, wasn't eating and every muscle hurt.

"I think I'm coming out the other end but Clare had her worst night last night.

"It's scary how ill you feel and the fever keeps you awake at all hours."

What is Aussie Flu?

The winter bug known as H3N2 is a subtype of Influenza A.

Symptoms include:

  • Body aches
  • Coughing
  • Exhaustion
  • Fever
  • Headache
  • Minor congestion
  • Sore throat
  • Vomiting and diarrhoea

Symptoms are similar to normal flu, but are more severe.

Recovery should take less that a week although a cough and fatigue may last longer

Official NHS advice for flu states to call 999 or go to A&E if you develop sudden chest pain, have difficulty breathing or start coughing up blood

GPs don't recommend antibiotics for flu because they won't relieve your symptoms or speed up your recovery.

"Mark works with the public as an engineer and I work with vulnerable adults," Miss Roberts said.

"We couldn't move, let alone go to work, because we were so poorly but I certainly wouldn't have attempted to go to work and spread this further.

"Regular checks of your temperature is something we were doing throughout the day. This meant we were alternating between paracetamol or Lemsip then ibuprofen."

Cases of flu are on the rise in Huddersfield

Have you been struck down with Aussie Flu? Email editorial@examiner.co.uk.

Aussie flu is officially on the rise as 17 were left flighting for life in the last week, a government report revealed yesterday.

The number of people admitted to intensive care units (ICU) with the deadly illness has almost doubled in the last seven days, according to Public Health England's weekly National Influenza Report.

Between December 21 and December 28, nine people struck down with the H3N2 strain of the infectious disease required specialist treatment and monitoring on an ICU or High Dependency Unit (HDU).

But since December 28, a further eight sufferers have required urgent medical attention.

And a further 112 people were hospitalised outside of emergency care units in comparison to the previous week's five.

Fewer than one in five children in Kirklees has had the flu vaccine (file picture)

Mr Wilde said the best piece of advice he can offer other families struck down with the illness is "stay indoors".

"If you're vulnerable, pregnant or elderly, then of course you should go to A&E," Mr Wilde said. "But I think for most people it's important to stay indoors and avoid passing it on to someone else.

"We both work in jobs were we're constantly meeting new people, some of whom are elderly or already ill.

"Stay indoors and get a friend to pick up some medication and post it through the door."

Experts in Ireland revealed on December 31 "less than 10 people" have died from the Aussie flu outbreak.