Aussie flu continues to hit the UK, with swathes of the country currently at risk on a Flusurvey map outlining the areas affected.

But did you know regular romps in the bedroom could boost the immune system - and stave off the potentially deadly strain?

Experts have found sex can increase the amount of the antibody Immunoglobulin A in the body, which fights off infection and can prevent you catching viruses.

People who sleep with their partner once or twice a week had 30 per cent more of the chemical than those who didn't, a study at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania found.

Daily Record reports that results of the study show sex can also help lower stress levels, which may stave off feeling unwell, as well as it being a form of exercise.

Other ways of boosting the immune system suggested by researchers include having regular massages, joining a book club and getting a good night's sleep.

Man flu could be the real deal

Researchers at the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine in the US say that a 20-minute massage per week may lower cortisol levels - a stress hormone that has a negative impact on the immune system by 53 per cent.

Other researchers believe that the bigger your social circle, the more flu-fighting antibodies your body produces.

The study at the Carnegie Mellon University in the US said the larger the group, the more chance you have of fighting off flu.

Getting seven hours of sleep a night could also help.

Studies have shown that those who had less than six hours kip a night were four times more likely to catch a virus, researchers at the University of California San Francisco in the US discovered.

Other ways to avoid bacteria and infection include washing your hands frequently, loading up on vitamin D and staying postitive.

Chamomile tea could also help as it soothes the body and could help to boost the immune system.

The number of people needing hospital treatment due to Aussie flu has risen from 17 to 18.

The rise in hospital admissions comes after it was revealed flu has claimed the lives of 48 people already this winter, with 24 people killed in just one week.

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There have also been outbreaks at 12 schools across the country in the last three months.

A report said:"During the week ending on January 7, allowing for Christmas reporting breaks, influenza activity continues to increase across all surveillance indicators with notable increases for respiratory outbreaks and influenza confirmed hospitalisations."