‘Stay at home’ warning as cases of norovirus hit ‘record high’ surging 15% in a week – 3 early signs to watch out for

HEALTH officials are urging Brits to follow measures specified arsenic staying astatine location and masking up erstwhile venturing extracurricular aft a "worrying" surge successful norovirus cases.

While cases of the winter vomiting bug thin to beryllium much communal astatine this clip of year, the latest figures person shown levels of hospitalisations successful England are 30 per cent higher than the aforesaid play past year.

Figures from the NHS revealed determination were 898 radical a time successful infirmary with the bug past week (Jan 26) - a 15 per cent leap connected the 784 patients the week earlier (Jan 19).

Professor Julian Redhead, from the NHS. said: "The worrying surge successful norovirus cases – present astatine their highest level truthful acold this wintertime – means determination is nary fto up for NHS staff."

Norovirus causes vomiting and diarrhoea, which tin pb to dehydration, particularly successful susceptible groups specified arsenic young children and older oregon immunocompromised people.

Dehydration tin pb to superior complications, including low humor pressure, kidney failure, and adjacent death. 

Amy Douglas, Epidemiologist astatine UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said: “Norovirus cases are implicit treble what we would usually spot astatine this clip of year. This isn't conscionable unpleasant for those affected - it's having a large interaction connected hospitals and attraction homes.

“It’s truly important that if you person diarrhoea and vomiting, you instrumentality steps to debar passing the corruption on."

With precocious levels of different wintertime viruses this year, including flu, COVID, and RSV, health experts astatine UKHSA are urging the nationalist to instrumentality indispensable precautions to debar getting and spreading illness.

A station connected X, formerly Twitter, connected January 30 warned: "During winter, tons of illnesses similar #Norovirus and #Flu dispersed easily.

"If you're unwell, determination are actions you tin instrumentality to trim the hazard of spreading infections to others."

The UKHSA added: "Staying astatine location erstwhile you person symptoms of flu oregon COVID-19 helps support those who are vulnerable. If you request to spell retired erstwhile unwell, see wearing a disguise astir different people.

"Simple measures similar catching coughs and sneezes successful a tissue, regular manus washing, and opening a model erstwhile gathering others indoors tin each assistance trim the dispersed of respiratory infections."

Specifically related to norovirus, Amy Douglas advised: "Please avoid visiting radical successful hospitals and attraction homes to forestall passing connected the corruption successful these settings.

“Do 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. This is due to the fact that you tin inactive walk connected the microorganism successful the days aft you halt being sick.

“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.”

First signs of norovirus

The earliest signs of norovirus usually look 12 to 48 hours aft exposure. 

Symptoms tin commencement arsenic aboriginal arsenic 10 hours aft exposure. 

The NHS says they usually commencement abruptly and tin include:

• feeling sick
• being sick (vomiting)
• diarrhoea

A idiosyncratic whitethorn besides experience:

• a precocious temperature
• a headache
• tummy pain
• body aches and pains

The wellness work besides warns of much superior signs to look retired for that whitethorn necessitate hospitalisation.

It recommends calling 999 oregon going to A&E if you oregon your child:

• vomit humor oregon person vomit that looks similar crushed coffee
• have greenish vomit (adults)
• have yellow-green oregon greenish vomit (children)
• may person swallowed thing poisonous
• have a stiff cervix and symptom erstwhile looking astatine agleam lights
• have a sudden, terrible headache
• have a sudden, terrible tummy ache
• have blue, grey, airy oregon blotchy skin, lips oregon lingua - connected brownish oregon achromatic tegument this whitethorn beryllium easier to spot connected the palms of the hands oregon soles of the feet
• are having terrible trouble breathing, oregon taking tons of quick, abbreviated breaths
• are confused oregon not responding arsenic usual

If you oregon your kid has norovirus, you tin usually dainty it astatine home.

People usually commencement to consciousness amended successful 2 to 3 days.

The astir important happening to bash is to person tons of fluids to debar dehydration from diarrhoea and vomiting.