GII.17 ‘Kawasaki’ variant behind huge 40% surge in grim diarrhoea cases – as health officials warn group at highest risk

A SURGE successful cases of a nasty diarrhoea bug has been driven by a variant dubbed 'Kawasaki'.

Cases of microorganism that causes abrupt and convulsive vomiting and diarrhoea person spiked by 41 per cent successful 2 weeks, according to the UK Health Security Agency.

Norovirus is highly contagious bug that tends to spike successful winter months.

Symptoms of nausea, vomiting and watery stools often onslaught suddenly, wrong a time oregon 2 of being infected.

UKHSA said: "Norovirus enactment has remained precocious this play and has started to summation successful caller weeks."

It comes arsenic wellness bosses besides warned of a looming "quadrupledemic" of wintertime bugs.

In the 2 weeks betwixt October 7 and 20, reports of norovirus infections roseate by 41 per cent compared to the erstwhile two-week period.

The full fig of reports was much than treble the magnitude of cases usually seen astatine this clip of year, the wellness watchdog added.

A full of 2,419 norovirus cases person been reported truthful acold this year, compared to 993 this clip past year.

Meanwhile, 447 cases were detected betwixt October 7 and 20, compared to 167 successful the aforesaid play successful 2023.

UKHSA noted that the surge successful cases had been mostly driven by variant known arsenic GII.17.

The strain has been nicknamed 'Kawasaki' arsenic it was archetypal detected successful the Japanese metropolis successful 2014.

It was a "a large origin of gastroenteritis outbreaks successful China and Japan" astatine the time, a survey published successful the diary Eurosurveillance said.

More caller probe from 2024 suggests that the strain whitethorn beryllium replacing different much communal variants of the bug - known arsenic GII.4 - successful England, France, Austria, Finland and the US.

Discussing the caller spike successful norovirus cases, UKHSA said: "There has been an summation GII.17 variant since April 2024, and during the archetypal 16 weeks of the 2024/2025 play this was the astir commonly detected norovirus genotype.

"The summation of the variant has been observed successful different counties and is being intimately monitored."

Reports person been rising crossed each property groups compared to erstwhile seasons’ activity, but lawsuit numbers person been highest successful adults - peculiarly those aged 65 and implicit - successful caller weeks.

Gauri Godbole, lawman manager for gastrointestinal infections at UKHSA, said: “We are heading into the wintertime play with norovirus levels higher than usual, and we expect norovirus to dispersed much successful the coming weeks.

“Recently, we’ve seen the biggest emergence successful cases successful adults, particularly those aged 65 and over."

Norovirus outbreaks successful hospitals person besides accrued by 37 per cent compared to numbers usually seen astir this clip of year.

Who is astir susceptible to norovirus?

As norovirus tin origin vomiting and diarrhoea - some of which deplete the assemblage of fluids - it tin permission radical dehydrated.

Young children and older radical oregon those with compromised immune systems are astir susceptible to this.

If you bash get sick it is important to portion plentifulness of fluids during that time, UKHSA warned.

As the microorganism is highly contagious, it's besides important assistance trim its dispersed arsenic overmuch arsenic possible.

The bug tends to linger connected surfaces and objects, truthful it tin beryllium passed connected if you bring your hands to your rima aft touching contaminated things.

You tin besides drawback it from adjacent interaction with idiosyncratic with norovirus oregon eating nutrient that's been prepared oregon handled by idiosyncratic with norovirus.

Dr Godbole said: “To assistance trim the dispersed of norovirus you tin instrumentality steps to debar passing the corruption on.

"If you person diarrhoea and vomiting, bash not instrumentality to work, schoolhouse oregon nursery until 48 hours aft your symptoms person stopped and don’t hole nutrient for others successful that clip either.

"If you are unwell, debar visiting radical successful hospitals and attraction homes to forestall passing connected the corruption successful these settings.

“Washing your hands with soap and lukewarm h2o and utilizing bleach-based products to cleanable surfaces volition besides assistance halt infections from spreading.

"Alcohol gels bash not termination norovirus truthful don’t trust connected these alone.”