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• This story contains a graphic image of an injury.
A woman who fainted through a glass shower door while sick with Influenza A is urging others to take the flu seriously, as a doctor warns hot showers can trigger fainting.
Kat Murray was 26 at the time of the incident two years ago, where she suffered multiple deep cuts in her back, with the glass narrowly missing a critical nerve that could have left her paralysed.
Hospitalisations from flu and flu-like illnesses have been in the "very high" category for weeks, according to data from PHF Science. In Auckland they were at 10-year highs.
When Murray first woke up feeling unwell she assumed it was a cold and took the day off work, but the next day she felt even worse.
"I felt really cold so I took a hot shower to warm up, while I was in the shower I was hit by overwhelming nausea and instinctively tried to make it out to avoid being sick in the shower."
Murray remembered leaning towards the window before passing out.
"I fell backwards into the shower glass and went through it... there was blood everywhere, glass everywhere. I didn't know my name, the day of the week, anything."
Murray said her partner helped get her to a local A&E, where she sat in a blood-soaked jersey for four hours.
"It was scary - I had a big gash from my shoulder blade leading towards my neck and all the way down my back. I had eight stitches in one gash and the majority taped up so they couldn't split."
While there, Murray did a swab test to rule out Covid-19 and was told she had Influenza A.
"It took three weeks for all the stitches and the scabbing to heal and another three weeks to kind of normalise all the scar tissue. I've got a good handful of scars on my back still."
Murray said it was important for people to take having the flu seriously and to be more aware that it wasn't just a standard bug.
"We treat the flu like a minor inconvenience rather than the aggressive systematic threat it is," she said.
"Young people often feel invincible, pressuring themselves to keep working, moving and functioning when they need rest and proper medical care.
"Stay home, get checked by a doctor and take your health seriously."
Medical director at Tū Ora Compass Health, Dr Louise Poynton, said anyone could still get really unwell with the flu and it could be serious and needed to be treated a such.
Poynton said anyone who was unwell with a fever or dehydration had a higher chance of falling as it could lead to a drop in blood pressure.
"Hot water can cause blood vessels to relax which can also cause a drop in blood pressure."
For anyone with the flu it was important to stay hydrated and take care when moving from sitting to standing, as well as giving the body time to adjust before moving around after standing, Poynton said.
Jumping into a hot shower when feeling dizzy or light-headed could increase the risk of fainting.
She said even someone who was otherwise fit and healthy, would normally need between seven and 10 days at home to recover - and some effects of the flu could last several weeks.
"Anyone who has had it will take it seriously," she said.
While the number of cases this season seemed to be slowly easing, there were still a lot of cases around and doctors were sill seeing people with complications of the flu.
"Stay home if you're unwell, wear a mask, keep your house well ventilated... more broadly stay healthy - eat nutritious food, sleep well and stay active."
She also urged anyone who had not had a flu vaccine this year to get one as there was still time.
