Are you feeling a little queasy… maybe off your food?
Perhaps you’re one of tens of thousands of people who currently have norovirus, which is circulating at ‘exceptionally high’ levels, according to the government.
The latest figures show that the winter peak is far from over, with hospital beds bulging and cases close to record levels.
Concerningly, even if you’ve already had it recently, you’re not out of the woods because multiple strains are circulating at once, with a switch in which is more dominant, so you might just get a different type.
NHS England said visits to its norovirus webpage have risen by 40% in the last week – from 53,052 to 74,324 – as patients turn to Google for advice.
Last week saw a record high for hospital norovirus cases, with an average of 1,160 patients per day in hospital. Latest data is only slightly below this, with an average of 1,134.
Have you had norovirus recently?
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Yes and I’m still traumatised
The figure is more than double (up 141%) the same period last year (470).
Lab data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which represents a fraction of cases in the community, show confirmed cases in the two weeks from February 3 to 16 were 29.4% higher than the previous fortnight and more than double the five-season average for the same period.
For every case reported in this national data, around 288 cases occur in the community, suggesting around three million cases annually in the UK.
Amy Douglas, lead epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said: ‘Norovirus levels are still exceptionally high and now with multiple genotypes spreading at the same time, people could end up getting infected more than once this season.
‘We are seeing the biggest impacts in health and social care settings, such as hospitals and care homes.’
At the end of last year, the most widespread strain of noro was GII.17 after it surged to become dominant.
But a diferent type, GII.4, is rising and now represents 29% of cases, compared to just 10% three months ago.
The UKHSA reassured people that there is no indication that either GII.17 or GII.4 leads to more severe illness but said it is unclear whether norovirus cases have peaked for this winter.
Ms Douglas said: ‘If you have diarrhoea and vomiting, please do not visit hospitals and care homes or return to work, school or nursery until 48 hours after your symptoms have stopped and don’t prepare food for others, as you can still pass on the virus during this time.
‘Alcohol gels do not kill norovirus. Wash your hands with soapy warm water and clean surfaces with bleach-based products where possible to help stop infections from spreading.’
What are the symptoms of norovirus?
If you have been infected with norovirus, you will experience:
- Feeling sick (nausea)
- Diarrhoea
- Being sick (vomiting)
- These last two may even occur at the same time, which gives norovirus its notoriety as an illness you REALLY don’t want to get
You may also have:
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