Urgent warning as D&V bug continues to grip NHS – as cases soar 150% on last year

HEALTH bosses have issued an urgent warning over a grim diarrhoea and vomiting bug, as case numbers edge toward a record high.

Patients with the illness are flooding the NHS, with the number of people hospitalised for it nearly 150 per cent higher than last year, figures show.

There were an average of 1,134 patients a day in hospital with norovirus last week, down slightly from the 1,160 seen the previous week.

But that’s still over double the amount of patients admitted to hospital in the same period last year (470).

Prof Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, said: “While it is good news norovirus cases dropped, they remain extremely close to the all-time high reported last week so we can be under no illusions about the continued pressure staff are still facing.

“Hospitals remain close to capacity in part because of seasonal illnesses, and it is vital that people do everything they can to reduce the spread of what can be a deeply unpleasant illness.”

Norovirus, also known as the winter vomiting bug, is a very contagious stomach bug that causes vomiting and diarrhoea, as well as a high temperature, headache, tummy pain, and body aches.

Just last week, health bosses warned cases were “way above” what we usually see in the UK at this time of year.

Figures released by UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) this week showed norovirus cases continuing to surge across the country, with laboratory reports at the highest levels since the agency began tallying data on the bug in 2014.

In the two weeks between February 3 and 16, the number confirmed norovirus cases rose by 29.4 per cent.

UKHSA said they were 160 per cent higher that the number of cases usually seen in the same two-week period.

Hospitals and care homes were the hardest hit, with people aged 65 and over proving most vulnerable to infection.

Cases usually start to decline around this time of year as the weather gets warmer, but the health watchdog warned of potential second norovirus wave.

It said people who have already had the virus this winter could be at risk of getting it again, as new data showed a shift in the strains circulating.

While most cases this season have been caused by the GII.17 genotype, UKHSA said a different, but commonly seen genotype – GII.4 – is now increasing.

“While the GII.17 genotype remains dominant, accounting for 59 per cent of cases, its prevalence has dropped from 76 per cent since November,” UKHSA explained.

“Meanwhile, the GII.4 strain has seen a sharp rise, now representing 29 per cent of cases compared to just 10 per cent three months ago.”

This means that people who have already had norovirus this season may catch it again, as having one genotype does not fully protect against the other.

But UKHSA noted that neither strain seems to cause a more severe illness.

Amy Douglas, lead epidemiologist at 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.

“Symptoms of norovirus can be more severe in older adults, young children and those who are immunocompromised.”

UKHSA experts estimated that reported cases represent only a small fraction of actual infections, as there are 288 cases for every one reported to their national surveillance system.

This suggests there around there are 3 million cases in the UK each year.

‘Not out of winter woods’

Norovirus isn’t the only bug currently buffeting hospitals.

NHS figures showed that 95 per cent of adult beds were occupied last week, with a total of 96,807 patients in hospital each day.

The number of patients with Covid rose slightly on the week before – up 4 per cent to 1,027 from 984.

But the number of flu cases in hospital continued to fall with an average 1,656 patients in beds with flu last week, including 80 in critical care – down 5.7 per cent on the week before (1,755).

But are still delays in patient discharges so beds can be freed up – with almost one in seven beds taken up by patients who did not need to be there.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “These statistics show that we are still not out of the winter woods, and I want to thank all NHS staff for their hard work in the face of substantial pressures on the health service.”

How to protect yourself from norovirus

Prof Powis said: “To help stop the spread of norovirus, the medical advice is to wash your hands frequently with soap and water and avoid mixing with other people until you have not had symptoms for two days.

“While pressures on hospitals remains incredibly high, people should continue to use NHS services in the normal way – using 111 and 111 online if you need advice and support for health conditions, and only using 999 or attending A&E in life-threatening emergencies.”

“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.”

Dr Douglas added: “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.”