A ‘quadruple-demic’ could hit Britain this winter, as four major illnesses – Covid-19, RSV, flu, and the dreaded norovirus – could spread rapidly in schools.
The latter is causing particular alarm with cases doubling what’s normally expected at this chilly time of year. There are fears over a new school term compouding the issue, with the UK Health Security Agency dishing out a warning.
Back in September, boffins raised the alarm about a fresh ‘XEC Covid variant’ after a worrying spike in infections. While UKHSA’s Deputy Director, Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, previously told the Express that viruses mutating is ‘normal and expected’, other experts have ominously warned that its impact is only just beginning to be felt.
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(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
It comes as tummy bug norovirus shot up 40 per cent in a fortnight, and higher than usual for the time of year. The UKHSA said children and adults should wash their hands with soap regularly and use tissues for sniffles – to fight back against the rise.
Dr Richard Pebody, infection director at the UKHSA, said: “As children return to school after the half term holidays, it’s important that they get off to the best start possible ahead of winter.
“Staying healthy and taking simple steps to reduce the spread of illness will ensure children and their families experience less disruption at this time of year.
“Each winter, we see an increase in respiratory and gastro-intestinal illnesses, but it only takes simple steps to reduce the spread of most of these infections.
“By following advice on good hygiene habits, knowing when to keep your child off school and taking up the opportunity to get vaccinated, parents are protecting their children and the wider school community.”
Adults should follow the same hygiene habits.
Dr Gareth Nye, Chester Medical School’s Senior Lecturer spoke out about what to expect, reports Surrey Live.
“Only norovirus is currently a concern as there is a huge increase in people over 65 contracting the disease. The other three remain at levels in line with expectations, with Coronavirus hospitalisation rates actually dropping slightly,” the doctor said.
“We continue to see trends of increased spread of infections year on year which does seem to be linked to pressures to remain in work due to financial strains and this year particularly I can see the stricter rules around children attendance in school playing havoc for infection rates.”
With winter illnesses causing confusion among Brits, it’s tricky to spot the difference between coronavirus, RSV, flu and norovirus—often dubbed the ‘winter vomiting bug’. The NHS has stated that usual symptoms for norovirus include major vomiting and diarrhoea, typically lasting about two days.
On the other side of things, pinning down whether you’ve got coronavirus, flu, or RSV isn’t so straightforward—Dr Nye reckons testing is essential to tell them apart.
He pointed out: “Norovirus has a very particular range of symptoms with vomited, sickness and diarrhoea being present. Coronavirus, RSV and flu have overlapping symptoms having the tell-tale loss of smell and taste. Without testing however it is incredibly difficult to say for certain which of these three infections you have.”
Dr Nye threw in a dire warning that the most vulnerable in society, including babies and the elderly, are at serious risk due to the spread of these ‘quadrupledemic’ bugs.
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