Norovirus cases in England at highest level in five years

More patients have been struck down with vomiting bug norovirus this year compared with the previous five years, according to official figures.

Data from Public Health England shows reports of the bug had reached 2,435 this winter – 12% more than the average for the same period over the last five years. The figure is also 71% higher than the same period last year, although last winter had unusually low levels of norovirus.

In the week ending on Christmas Day, the outbreaks of vomiting and diarrhoea resulted in more bed closures than during the same period last year – rising from an average of 559 beds closed per day to 699. Hospitals reported 20 outbreaks of norovirus in the first two weeks of December, 17 of which led to bay or ward closures and 13 of which were confirmed as the bug.

In total so far this season, there have been 163 hospital outbreaks reported.

Nick Phin, deputy director of the national infection service at PHE, said: “Norovirus is a common cause of illness during winter. Exactly when the peak in activity occurs will be different each winter but levels seen so far this year are not unexpected compared with the previous five years.”

The number of laboratory reports of the bug rotavirus this season is 1,136, which is also 3% higher than the average for the period from 2003 to 2013.

In early November the Mexican restaurant chain Wahaca closed several branches in London after more than 350 customers and staff fell ill with suspected norovirus. PHE and environmental health officers were called in after the suspected outbreak of the winter vomiting bug struck at nine restaurants.

NHS England also released figures showing there were 291,808 calls to the NHS 111 service in the week ending on Christmas Day as temperatures plummeted and a cold weather alert was issued. This was nearly 9% lower than the number of calls to the helpline in the same week last year. Of calls answered, 93.2% were answered within 60 seconds and 1.5% of patients abandoned their calls after waiting 30 seconds.

Norovirus cases in England at highest level in five years

How to stop a norovirus outbreak: tweet when you vomit

The cliche of social media is that it is full of people talking about their lunch. But this is one that the Food Standards Agency is now actively trying to encourage, at least if your lunch is heading the wrong way. Vomiting? Nauseated? Diarrhoea? Tweet it and you know at least one person will be reading – someone on the FSA’s norovirus monitoring team.

Since 2013, the agency has been developing an online epidemiology toolkit. It tried to work with Google initially, but found social media a far faster means of correlating lab results with geotagged incidences of people moaning about being “sick” (or a range of related search terms). To sharpen its results, the FSA excluded all simultaneous references to pregnancy, alcohol and anxiety, which have their own vomit-inducements.

This has greatly improved the lag time in its systems. Lab results take two days arrive, while tweets are instant. The FSA believes that the new system can predict an increase in norovirus in the following week between 70% and 80% of the time.

Three consecutive weeks of increases is the trigger point for what the FSA would define as an outbreak. That triggers a digital public awareness campaign advising people on how to look after themselves and avoid getting ill. A 10-mile run, seafood curry, 20 Rothmans and plenty of pinot grigio? Apparently not.

“The intervention is really quite basic,” says Dr Sian Thomas, head of information management at the FSA. “It’s about washing your hands, it’s about looking after yourself and not coming in to contact with other people while you’re sick.” The NHS advises people to stay home for two days after the initial gut-chunder symptoms disappear, because they remain infectious.

Online epidemiology is still in its infancy. In 2014, Google cancelled a global programme to track incidents of flu and dengue fever through its search bar. Of course, some social media are better suited to it than others. Rollout of norovirus monitoring to Instagram isn’t on anyone’s agenda.

How to stop a norovirus outbreak: tweet when you vomit

Life coach: how can we avoid catching norovirus?

Research of norovirus outbreaks on ships demonstrate that passengers who knew they have been ill prior to embarkation went aboard none the significantly less. People are not going to alter their behaviour, so be wary and give a wide berth to fellow travellers alluding to gut problems.

Coach excursions are a very good way to devote time in an enclosed area with airborne organisms, so restrict yourself to excursions that you actually want to take portion in.

Boxing clever

Q: What are your ideas on boxing as a way to get rid of weight? I want to lose about a stone and want to generally tone up. How frequently would you have to do it to make a variation?

A: Tony Gallagher writes

Several folks are hunting at alternative ways to get fit and lose bodyweight aside from going to a health club. My very own father and uncle were very keen amateur boxers in the days before there have been commercial gyms to go to.

Boxing is an superb way to get rid of fat but, like every thing else, you will require to be constant in training to accomplish your weight-decreasing goals. This kind of training also leads to excellent all-in excess of body conditioning, enhanced stamina, core power and balance as nicely as cardiovascular positive aspects.

You will have to contemplate what degree of contact you want to have. I can’t say that getting thumped about appeals to me very significantly, but acquiring match whilst studying boxing-type movements is interesting.

One organisation to take into account is Complete Boxer: it gives fitness and boxing abilities classes created to assist you find out the moves, the focus and the versatility of boxing without obtaining hit.

This type of “non-hit” session will involve shadow boxing (engaging the muscle tissues by throwing punches, but without having an opponent), some pad operate, punch bags, pace balls, and the outstanding boxer-type circuit coaching (totalboxer.com/fitnessandskills.html). I would suggest trying three weekly sessions for a month and see where you are at. If you are a little bit much more adventurous, and aged up to 34 many years, you can participate in the two coaching and sparring if it registers with the amateur boxing association of England (abae.co.united kingdom/aba/index.cfm/clubs/club-finder/). It also offers “Make-the-Weight” schemes which support folks to achieve reasonable and attainable bodyweight targets.

Fighting osteoporosis

Q: I have borderline osteoporosis and my GP has prescribed 1200mg of calcium every day. I am interested in consuming the proper food items and have given up caffeine as I understand it hinders the absorption of calcium. Now I learn that food items containing phytic and oxalic acids also have the very same effect. Must I avoid consuming nuts and seeds with my breakfast muesli? If so, what would you advocate I have each and every day? I am not keen on consuming plenty of dairy products that are substantial in unwanted fat.

A: Sara Stanner writes

Food items that are rich in calcium are important for bone well being. These contain dairy items, canned fish (such as sardines and salmon) with bones, dark green greens this kind of as kale and Chinese cabbage, dried fruit (such as dried figs) and calcium-fortified foods such as bread and some breakfast cereals.

Calcium in dairy items is properly absorbed by our bodies and dairy goods are also a source of other nutrients great for bone well being. Reduced-excess fat dairy goods have a tendency to have just as significantly calcium as full-excess fat goods but you can also acquire fortified non-dairy alternatives such as soy drinks if you prefer.

We have a tendency to soak up about a third of the calcium from our meals, but this decreases with age and depends on other dietary elements. The most important is vitamin D, which improves calcium absorption. So make positive that you are like oily fish, eggs, red meat, fortified body fat spreads and fortified breakfast cereals in your diet regime.

Current research has advised that meals wealthy in omega-3s may have bone- boosting positive aspects, so oily fish, in particular, is an excellent decision. Also make positive you get some sunshine, as sunlight is our main source of the vitamin D that we need to soak up calcium.

Phytic acid and oxalic acid, identified naturally in some plants, bind to calcium and quit it from being absorbed. Meals substantial in oxalic acid consist of spinach, sweet potatoes, rhubarb and nuts. Wholegrain goods and wheat bran, beans, seeds and nuts include phytic acid but the result of these food items on calcium absorption varies and there is only really a difficulty if you are including wheat bran to food items.

Relating to your breakfast muesli, investigation has shown the effects of both phytic acid and oxalic acid in foods this kind of as seeds and nuts (eaten in common and not excessive quantities) to be negligible on calcium absorption, and these food items incorporate several other helpful nutrients so shouldn’t be avoided.

As properly as a substantial caffeine consumption, a substantial salt consumption could also boost our calcium losses. So restrict salty food items this kind of as stock cubes, soy sauce and gravy, examine meals labels of processed foods to opt for decrease-salt choices. 1 or two cups of caffeine-containing drinks every single day is fine, but you mention that you have currently offered up caffeine. Don’t forget that alcohol also impairs absorption.

On the other side of the coin, fruit and veggies seem to be to decrease calcium excretion, and they also contain other essential nutrients for bone overall health, such as vitamin K, vitamin C and potassium, so make positive you are eating a lot of these.

As nicely as dietary considerations, not smoking will have a beneficial effect, as will working out often. Excess weight-bearing exercising (this kind of as walking, climbing stairs, jogging, enjoying tennis or dancing) is notably great for the bones.

Lastly, make confident you comply with the instructions on the label of your calcium supplement. Some are better absorbed when taken at meals, even though others work equally well when taken with or with out foods.

Check out the Nationwide Osteoporosis Society website for more info (nos.org.united kingdom).

Send your questions to lifecoach@telegraph.co.united kingdom, or to 111 Buckingham Palace Street, London SW1W 0DT

Life coach: how can we avoid catching norovirus?

What You Should Know About The Norovirus

With a quantity of cruise ships pulling into port with sick passengers, the norovirus–previously referred to as the Norwalk virus–has been brought to our consideration yet again. This virus, the most frequent lead to of gastroenteritis in the US–characterized by nausea, vomiting and diarrhea- continues to be a main public wellness concern, with no viable vaccine in sight.

There are 5 kinds of noroviruses, and infection with these viruses triggers gastroenteritis, which is basically a type of irritation of the big and little intestines which prospects to sudden onset of stomach cramping, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.  Other signs and symptoms might include reduced grade fever, chills, muscle aches, headache and generalized fatigue.

Norovirus EM PHIL 2172 lores (Photograph credit: Wikipedia)

The bottom line is that you can contract the norovirus repeatedly–even if you have had it in the previous. There are innumerable types of the virus this kind of that there is no lasting immunity that occurs soon after an infection.

It turns out that noroviruses are the most common trigger of gastroenteritis– as properly as outbreaks of diarrhea in the US.  According to the CDC, there are practically in between 19 and 21 million situations of acute gastroenteritis are induced by noroviruses—so that is about 1 in every single 15 Americans  who will get norovirus illness each and every year. Norovirus is also estimated to cause 56,000 to 71,000 hospitalizations and 570 to 800 deaths each year in the United States.

Norovirus illness is frequently referred to as “food poisoning” or the “stomach flu.”  Certainly meals poisoning can be triggered by noroviruses. However, there are also numerous bacterial causes of so-called food poisoning.  In truth, bacteria cause almost forty % of instances of gastroenteritis in accordance to CDC, with viruses foremost to virtually 50 % of all causes of infectious diarrhea.  Its critical to remind the public that illness triggered by norovirus is not normal influenza that takes place in the course of flu season—the flu is a respiratory illness brought on by influenza virus.

Underneath normal conditions in a healthful individual, norovirus sickness is normally not a serious situation.  Typically, most individuals get far better in about one to three days. Nonetheless, norovirus sickness can be severe in the elderly, kids and men and women with other health-related conditions such as persistent lung condition, kidney failure, or diabetes.  In these subgroups of patients, it can lead to severe dehydration, hospitalization and can even be deadly.

If you are unable to drink enough fluids to substitute the losses from diarrhea or vomiting, you could turn into dehydrated.  Symptoms of dehydration include a dry mouth and throat, decreased urination, and feeling dizzy when standing up. Youngsters who are dehydrated may also turn into irritable, rest much less and normally be a lot more fussy.  One particular sign of dehydration could be a lessen in production of tears along with dry lips and tongue.

In common, the most efficient way to prevent dehydration is to drink loads of fluids this kind of as water and contemplate employing sports drinks which include electrolytes such as sodium and potassium which are misplaced with diarrhea and vomiting.  Pedialyte is a helpful re-hydrating solution, and I would advocate staying away from caffeine or alcohol, considering that they might lead to dehydration.

It is also important to remember that norovirus can spread fairly quickly from individual to man or woman in crowded, closed locations like nursing schools, nursing homes, daycare centers hotels, and especially cruise ships. And noroviruses can also be a major result in of outbreaks in eating places if contaminated foods is served.

The viruses are located in the vomitus and feces of men and women with energetic symptoms–hence the importance of hand washing and practicing excellent standard hygiene. You can contract the norovirus by eating meals or drinking liquids that are contaminated with norovirus, touching surfaces or objects contaminated with norovirus and then placing your hand or fingers in your mouth. Obtaining direct speak to with a person who is contaminated with norovirus, for example, when caring for someone with norovirus or sharing foods or consuming utensils with them

People with norovirus sickness are contagious from the time they start feeling sick until finally at least 3 days right after they feel much better and commence to boost. However, some men and women might be contagious for even longer.

It is important to know that there is no vaccine to prevent norovirus infection. Also, there is no medicine to treat men and women who get sick from the virus. Antibiotics will not help if you have norovirus illness. This is because antibiotics are active towards bacteria, not viruses.

Medicines to deal with nausea and vomiting referred to as antiemetics (Odansetron, metoclopramide, promethazine) may be helpful.  Other medicines to treat diarrhea such as Imodium for short courses may be helpful as effectively.

The GII.4 Sydney strain of the Norovirus which began to appear in March, 2012 might be a factor in some of these outbreaks. This virus may not be anymore effective than preceding strains, but likely is a culprit in these recent outbreaks. The CDC is conducting ongoing analysis of samples from these ships.

Ideas For Reducing Spread Of Norovirus

What You Should Know About The Norovirus