I agree, there seems to be a lot more illness. Speaking personally,I have had the "flu" twice this year, the first quite badly, and once last year. In the pre-Covid 19 years I reckon I had the flu once in ten years. I don't think I have the long covid thing but I reckon it's affected me since having it in 2021.
Totally man, you're definitely not alone there... so many people I work with, in different parts of the world now just casually drop into conversation "Oh, sorry I didn't get back to you, I was in hospital last week with the flu" - which is wild.
I didn't know this before, but apparently the flu also attacks the immune system, so it super sucks that you've had it twice this year, but I think medically, that's not surprising... but yeah, totally agree, the flu was always brutal, but pretty rare, and now, it's a multiple times a year event.
As someone with a lower immune system anyway (type 1 diabetic) the common flu has a greater effect on me anyway. I got covid-19 once and it hit pretty hard for about three days and then I was on the mend and feeling better after about six however I've never felt completely right (or the same as prior) since I had it and I often wonder what's waiting just below the surface.
Yeah, I worry about people that have had Covid like 5 or 10 times already. If it's doing damage under the surface, what health problems will it make worse over their lifetimes.