Flu, surge in cases in the UK

At the end of December, the National Health Service (NHS England) reported a ‘fourfold increase’ in flu cases in hospitals in one month, according to local media reports. Some healthcare facilities have reintroduced surgical masks due to the high influx of patients and overcrowded wards. The pressure on hospitals in the UK shows no sign of abating, according to Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, as reported by the BBC online. The expert said that the number of flu cases in hospitals in the region has passed the 5,000 mark and that several health authorities across the country are declaring a ‘critical incident’, a procedure that is activated in difficult situations, to cope with the additional pressure that is expected. A spokesman for Southmead Hospital, north of Bristol, said there had been a ‘sharp increase’ in flu and respiratory illnesses since the start of the year. The UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) is also monitoring the development of metapneumovirus (HMPV), which is currently following its usual seasonal trend in the country, with a slight increase in positivity (particularly in children under five). This winter season, experts have spoken of a quadruple epidemic, or ‘quad-demic’, with flu, norovirus, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) all circulating at the same time.