BRITS have been warned to prepare themselves for a ‘quadruple-demic’ of bugs.
Cases of the sickness bug norovirus have surged over 40 per cent in two weeks and are predicted to keep increasing.
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Covid, RSV and flu also risk surging in the next few weeks, despite currently circulating at low levels, health experts predict.
Carolina Goncalves, superintendent pharmacist for Pharmica, said: “The risk of a ‘quadruple-demic’ is quite real for some individuals.
“Concurrent outbreaks of Covid, flu, RSV and norovirus during the colder months can trigger back-to-back illness and may be exacerbated by seasonal factors, increased indoor gatherings and weak immune systems in some individuals,” she told MailOnline.
Norovirus – also known as the “winter vomiting bug” – is a highly infectious viral illness.
Much like Covid, or flu, it can leave sufferers with chills, fever and headaches.
But norovirus also causes explosive vomiting and diarrhoea as its main symptoms.
The most recent UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures show reports of the nasty bug are up by 41 per cent in just a fortnight.
At least 447 lab reports came back positive for the “extremely contagious” norovirus between October 7 and October 20, (weeks 42-44) figures show – up from 382 in the two weeks prior.
This suggests the number of people sick with the bug is more than double what’s typically expected for this time of year, the agency said.
Gauri Godbole, deputy director of gastrointestinal infections at the UKHSA, said: “We are heading into the winter season with norovirus levels higher than usual, and we expect norovirus to spread more in the coming weeks.
“Recently, we’ve seen the biggest rise in cases in adults, especially those aged 65 and over.
“To help reduce the spread of norovirus you can take steps to avoid passing the infection on.
“If you have diarrhoea and vomiting, do not return to work, school or nursery until 48 hours after your symptoms have stopped and don’t prepare food for others in that time either.
“If you are unwell, avoid visiting people in hospitals and care homes to prevent passing on the infection in these settings.”
The figures come as a new vaccine that could stop people from developing the vomiting bug norovirus is being trialled in the UK.
The mRNA vaccine from Moderna has entered its final stages of testing, the Health Secretary has announced, with results so far showing it creates a “strong immune response”.
Who is eligible for free Covid, flu and RSV vaccines?
In line with JCVI advice, those eligible for a flu vaccine this year include:
From 3 October:
- Those aged 65 years and over
- Those aged 18 years to under 65 years in clinical risk groups (as defined by the Green Book)
- Those at serious risk, including those with a BMI over 40, diabetes, heart and breathing conditions
- Those in long-stay residential care homes
- Carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
- Close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
- Frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer-led occupational health scheme – including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers
- Those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants.
From 1 September:
- Pregnant women
- All children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2024
- Primary school-aged children (from Reception to Year 6)
- Secondary school-aged children (from Year 7 to Year 11)
- All children in clinical risk groups aged from 6 months to less than 18 years
Those eligible for an autumn Covid booster are:
- Residents in a care home for older adults
- All adults aged 65 years and over
- Persons aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group, as defined in the Green Book, including pregnant women
- Frontline health and social care workers and staff in care homes for older adults
Those eligible for an RSV vaccine are:
- Pregnant people from 28 weeks onwards
- People aged 75 to 79
The UKHSA report, based on laboratory test results, suggests that the rise in detected cases may be linked to changes in national disease surveillance methods following the pandemic.
Changes to testing and reporting, and the weather getting colder, are also considered possible factors in the report.
Not all norovirus cases are reported or tested, so the true number of infections is likely to be much higher.
Alongside norovirus, Brits are also falling ill from other seasonal viruses.
The same UKHSA stats revealed an uptick in RSV infections that have led to more people being admitted to the hospital.
RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common lung infection that in some instances can be deadly, especially for infants and the elderly.
Cases have risen to 5.2 per cent in the last week, while hospital admissions for the illness increased to 1.26 per 100,000 compared with 0.88.
Meanwhile, rates of flu also rose to 2.7 per cent.
How to stay safe
Thankfully, there are some simple ways to help curb the spread or norovirus
The UKHSA urges families to:
- Wash their hands regularly with soap and warm water
- Wash fruits and vegetables before preparing and eating them
- Cook foods thoroughly
- Routinely sanitise surfaces
- Avoid close contact with people who are obviously sick
And if you, a relative or friend has got norovirus, it’s important to remember:
- It cannot be treated with antibiotics.
- Vomiting and diarrhoea cause your body to lose water and salts, which can lead to dehydration, so drink plenty of fluids.
- Stay at home. Do not return to work or send kids to school until 48 hours after symptoms have stopped.
- Avoid cooking or preparing meals for others until 48 hours after symptoms have stopped.
- Wash all contaminated clothing and bedding using detergent and at 60C.
- Disinfect contaminated surfaces with bleach-based cleaning products where possible.
- Seek medical attention if symptoms do not improve.
Experts at UKHSA recently warned flu cases are already twice as high among children aged 5 to 14 compared with the general population, prompting experts to urge parents to get their kids vaccinated.
Meanwhile, Covid hospitalisations actually decreased to 3.91 per 100,000 compared to 4.4 in the previous week.
However, scientists have also sounded the alarm over a new, more contagious Covid variant called XEC, which is spreading across several European countries.
Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: “The three main respiratory infections remain at low levels, although we expect Covid and flu to increase in the coming weeks, with RSV already increasing, particularly among those aged 5 years and under.
“Vaccinations are offered against flu, Covid and RSV and we urge those in eligible groups who are yet to get booked in to do so soon, ahead of the peak season to ensure they are protected heading into the winter months.
“Our current surveillance shows that around 13 per cent of sequenced Covid cases are the XEC lineage however current information doesn’t suggest we should be more concerned about this variant.”
