Dad 'almost died' after flu put him in coma

Aaron Clark said getting the flu virus nearly killed him

A father of three who said he nearly died and spent 16 days in an induced coma as a result of contracting flu, is urging people to get vaccinated.

Aaron Clark, a garage owner from Sutton-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, was admitted to King's Mill Hospital's intensive care unit last December.

The 42-year-old, who was unvaccinated, said he had to go on to a ventilator to help his breathing and a dialysis machine as his kidneys were not working properly.

He is due to get his first ever flu jab on Saturday and is urging others to do the same.

Mr Clark was cared for by specialist critical care staff at King's Mill Hospital

Mr Clark said: "Within a few hours I went from thinking I had a nasty cold to being in an induced coma and on a ventilator in intensive care.

"I didn't appreciate how serious flu could be."

He said when he got to the GP, his blood oxygen levels were 72% (95% to 100% is considered normal) and staff tried three different monitors as they thought the equipment was not working properly.

Mr Clark said he was in multi-organ failure by the time he got to hospital.

Undergoing rehabilitation

"When I first came around, one of the first things I remember the doctor saying was well done.

"She said she'd not known many people come back from as far as I did," he said.

Mr Clark, who had no underlying medical conditions and considered himself to be in good health, is backing calls from the NHS for eligible people to take up a free flu vaccine, which is now being rolled out.

He said he was still receiving outpatient care from the hospital and undergoing rehabilitation.

Dr Mark Roberts is encouraging people to get vaccinated

Dr Mark Roberts, a respiratory consultant at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "While influenza is a mild illness for most people, it can cause severe illness and can be life-threatening.

"The vaccine is very effective at preventing the spread of the virus within the community. This helps us to protect our patients and families."