Health chiefs are today questioning the safety of festive gatherings amid an alarming rise in winter illnesses.
Rates of the vomiting virus norovirus – which can also cause diarrhea – have reached a decade high, new figures show.
Separate flu figures released today by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show that cases and hospital admissions have continued to rise.
Experts fear the outbreak will continue to accelerate in coming weeks as more people socialize indoors over Christmas and New Year.
They urged people with symptoms to limit contact with vulnerable groups – such as the elderly, pregnant women and those with underlying conditions – amid fears they could become seriously ill.
It comes as health leaders have already warned that the health service must brace for a ‘quad-demic’ caused by the four winter diseases – flu, Covid, norovirus and cold-like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Officials warned today that the surge ‘risks overwhelming an NHS and workforce already in crisis’.
According to figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the total number of norovirus reports this year (4,523) was also more than double what it was five years ago (2,057).
Rates of the fallow bug, which can also cause diarrhoea, are also more than double pre-Covid levels at this time of year, new figures show.
Between November 25 and December 8, there were 782 confirmed cases of the bug.
It marks an increase of a fifth on the 649 reported in the previous two weeks and is almost double that of five years ago (400).
Since the start of the 2024/2025 season, the number of reported norovirus outbreaks in hospitals is also 24 percent higher than the five-year average.
However, the actual number of cases across the country could be even higher.
This is because the figures are based on positive laboratory reports and NHS hospitals reporting suspected and confirmed outbreaks of norovirus.
Most infected suffer from nausea, diarrhea and vomiting and recover at home.
But norovirus could increase pressure on hospitals, as infected patients must be isolated in single rooms or wards closed to new patients to limit the spread.
Amy Douglas, an epidemiologist from the UKHSA, said: ‘Cases of norovirus remain high, with the latest figures being the highest reported at this time of year in a decade.
Norovirus can resemble the symptoms of Covid, with both viruses causing chills, fever and headache
‘If you have contracted the virus, take steps over the holidays to avoid passing on the infection.
‘Very young people, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk of more serious illness from norovirus.
‘If you have diarrhea and/or vomiting, do not visit people in hospitals and care homes to avoid spreading the infection in these settings.
‘If you are not feeling well, do not return to work, school or daycare until 48 hours after your complaints have disappeared and do not prepare food for others during that time.
The majority of people do not need to talk to a doctor about a norovirus infection.
In most cases it goes away on its own.
Rest and drinking plenty of fluids are often recommended by health heads to help recovery. Paracetamol can also help with fever or aches and pains.
Rehydration drinks, such as Dioralyte, which replace both crucial salts and water, can be purchased from a pharmacist.
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Parents are advised not to give soft drinks or fruit juice to children with norovirus, as this can worsen the diarrhea.
Many patients also ask doctors for antibiotics, but these do not work against viruses.
However, patients with particularly severe projectile vomiting and diarrhea can be prescribed anti-illness medication by their GP.
It comes as separate UKHSA data today showed that just over one in five tests (21.7 per cent) of Britons of all ages with coughs and colds came back positive for the flu virus at the end of last week.
Rates were highest among 5- to 14-year-olds at 39.8 percent, up from 30 percent the week before.
The NHS data released today also indicates that flu hospital admissions in England have already surpassed last year’s peak and are at their highest levels yet this winter.
Figures show that more than 2,600 beds alone have been taken up by flu patients, an increase of almost 40 percent compared to last week (1,795).
Of these, 125 were in intensive care – a 90 percent increase on the previous seven days.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of the NHS, said: ‘The NHS has been hit hard by an early festive flu season, increasing pressure on staff as they prepare for the long winter ahead.
‘In response to the surge of flu cases so early in the season, the NHS has made it as easy as possible for people to protect themselves with a jab, including vaccination centers in supermarket car parks and football clubs.
‘As children finish school and friends and families gather over the Christmas period, we expect viruses to continue to spread.
Patricia Marquis, executive director of the Royal College of Nursing in England, also said: ‘As people prepare for the festivities, nursing staff are struggling to keep the service together and are deeply concerned about what the coming weeks will bring .
‘Across the NHS, beds are full, emergency departments are facing increasing pressure, while growing numbers of flu cases threaten to overwhelm an NHS and workforce already in crisis.’