Urgent norovirus warning issued in the UK

UK health experts have issued an urgent warning about norovirus as the country faces a “second surge” of the highly contagious bug this winter. The latest figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show that cases are on the rise nationwide and that laboratory reports for the illness have reached their highest levels since the beginning of data collection in 2014. Moreover, those who have already contracted the virus are not immune due to a significant shift in the circulating strains. In the first two weeks of February, cases were 29.4% higher than the previous fortnight. It is also still unclear if this huge increase, linked to the recently emerged GII.17 genotype, represents the seasonal peak of the disease or not. The UKHSA warned about the severe impact of the norovirus epidemic on hospitals and care homes, with most cases found among people over 65. The rise of the GII. 17 genotype also means that those who have already had norovirus could catch it again, as having one strain does not fully protect against others.
Individuals showing symptoms of the disease (nausea, fever, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting) should not prepare meals for others, which contributes to propagating the virus. They should also not visit hospitals, care homes, schools, and workplaces if showing symptoms. They can return to normal activities after not experiencing symptoms for 48 hours. UKHSA lead epidemiologist Amy Douglas alerted the public to the risk of being re-infected this season and the heavy impact of the outbreak in health and social care settings, with severe consequences for older adults, young children, and immunocompromised people. She also recommended regularly washing hands with soapy warm water and cleaning surfaces with bleach-based products to prevent infection and curb the spread.