• you can't swallow liquids or saliva, (a child may be constantly dribbling)

• if there is difficulty breathing

• if the temperature is very high

• if the patient has had lots of attacks of tonsillitis before or had a quinsy before

• if the patient seems unusually ill

Colds and Flu

Colds and Flu are caused by viruses and don't need antibiotic treatment. It's only if other problems develop on top of the cold that these may be needed.
The symptoms are

Colds - runny nose, mild temperature, sneezing, coughs and sore throat.

Flu - a high temperature, aches in the muscles, headache and a dry cough, sometimes with a runny nose and sneezing.

To treat colds and flu

• rest (and don't do any sports or exercise)

• drink plenty of fluids, not alcohol

• use paracetamol for your aches and pains and to bring down your temperature

• wash your hands regularly and cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze to avoid spreading the viruses

Contact the surgery during opening hours if

• the fever hasn't settled after 4 days

• you have a persistent cough with green or yellow sputum

• you may have sinusitis, with pain above the eyes or in the face

• you have bad earache

Contact the surgery "out of hours" if

• there is chest pain or shortness of breath

• if there is a concern about meningitis

• if your fluid intake is poor

• if a baby persistently refuses to take feeds

• if a child starts acting strangely, for example, unable to sit up or walk, not speaking normally, drowsy all the time

• if asthma has deteriorated

• if you become severely ill

• if you have been in a malaria zone in the last 12 months

Flu immunisation