Beware of 'Flu Monday' —Feb 18 is sickest day of the year

Today is the sickest day of the year with more people suffering from colds and flu than at any time over 12 months.

According to medical experts the phenomenon, named as ‘Flu Monday’, is down to us giving up on the annual January detoxification and celebrating Valentine’s Day in style, the Sun reported.

The paper quoted Dr Rob Hicks, a GP in London, as asserting that many people start socialising more in February after January, when we socialise less and prefer eating healthy food, giving our bodies a chance to recuperate after the over-indulgence of Christmas.

He added that with more socialising, we come in closer contact with others, which is when germs can spread easily through coughing, sneezing, and physical contact.

Hicks further added that returning to old habits can be a “shock to our system”, after a month of being health conscious.