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The UKHSA issues 'stay at home' advice over soaring bug - 5 symptoms

The UK Health Security Agency this afternoon issued advice on what to do if you've caught 'winter vomiting' bug - and one key alert is 'stay at home' to avoid spreading it. I n a blog post this afternoon officials said norovirus is a stomach bug that causes vomiting and diarrhoea. The UKHSA said it spreads easily through communities, making outbreaks common in settings where individuals have close contact such as hospitals , care homes, schools and nurseries. Officials said that although levels this year are not as high as 2024 - they're on the rise. It adds: "The virus infects the stomach and intestines, and is also known as a gastrointestinal virus. You can catch norovirus more than once in a short time period because multiple types (or genotypes) of norovirus circulate at any given time. You may develop limited immunity to one strain but can still be infected by a different one soon after." Additional information available on the NHS website explains that diarrhoea and vomiting can spread rapidly and easily. It advises that you should "stay off school or work until you've not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least two days", and "try to stay at home or avoid contact with other people until you feel better" if you have a high temperature and/or do not feel well enough to carry out your normal activities. To help stop any bugs spreading, in addition to the advice given above, it's recommended to clean toilet seats, flush handles, taps, door handles and surfaces daily, and avoid preparing food for others where possible. Sharing towels, flannels, cutlery or utensils should be avoided, and swimming pools should not be used until at least 48 hours after symptoms have subsided. If you've got norovirus: Symptoms include Ring 111 immediately if: Dial 999 or head to A&E if you or your child: The incubation period of norovirus is usually 12 to 48 hours. This is the time between catching the virus and developing symptoms. Individuals are most infectious when showing symptoms, but it's possible to pass on norovirus both before developing symptoms and after symptoms have stopped. You should stay at home and avoid preparing food for others until 48 hours after symptoms have completely stopped, as you may still be shedding the virus during this time. For most people, norovirus is an unpleasant but short-lived illness, with full recovery within 2 to 3 days without needing any medicine. However, some groups - including young children, the elderly or those with weakened immunity - are at risk of suffering more serious and prolonged illness, which may require medical treatment. Norovirus can survive on surfaces for days or weeks, this is one of the key reasons why the virus spreads so easily through communities. It is important to properly clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces using a bleach-based solution (chlorine), wearing disposable gloves where possible. The typical recommendation is to use a 0.1% sodium hypochlorite solution (i.e. 1,000 parts per million (ppm)) for surfaces. There is no specific treatment for norovirus and it cannot be treated with antibiotics because antibiotics work to fight bacteria, not viruses. The focus of treatment is preventing dehydration by drinking plenty of fluids, as vomiting and diarrhoea cause your body to lose water and salts. Elderly people, young children and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk of becoming dehydrated and may need medical treatment. Good hand hygiene is crucial to stop norovirus spreading. Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water, particularly after using the toilet, before eating or preparing food, and after cleaning up vomit or diarrhoea. Alcohol-based hand sanitisers don’t kill norovirus. Practising good hygiene and avoiding contact with others while infectious are the best ways of preventing the virus from spreading. The virus is easily transmitted through contact with infected people and any surfaces or objects contaminated with the virus, so thorough cleaning and proper hand hygiene are essential. Wash any contaminated clothing or bedding using normal washing powder at 60°C, and if possible, wear disposable gloves to handle contaminated items. Disinfect contaminated surfaces using bleach-based cleaning products where possible, as norovirus can survive on surfaces for days or weeks otherwise. No, norovirus is not related to the flu virus at all. The term ‘stomach flu’ is misleading - it's simply a common nickname for inflammation of the stomach and intestines. The seasonal flu is caused by influenza viruses, which are completely different from norovirus and primarily affect the nose, mouth, lungs and airways rather than the digestive system. Norovirus is a gastrointestinal virus. One of the norovirus genotypes (GII.17) has been incorrectly covered in the media as Kawasaki norovirus, which is a historic GII.17 variant, not another name for the current GII.17. The distinction is important because the incorrect use of ‘Kawasaki virus’ has caused confusion with ‘ Kawasaki disease ,’ which is an unrelated, very serious condition.

Ben Hurst •
The UKHSA issues 'stay at home' advice over soaring bug - 5 symptoms

The UK Health Security Agency this afternoon issued advice on what to do if you've caught 'winter vomiting' bug - and one key alert is 'stay at home' to avoid spreading it. I n a blog post this afternoon officials said norovirus is a stomach bug that causes vomiting and diarrhoea. The UKHSA said it spreads easily through communities, making outbreaks common in settings where individuals have close contact such as hospitals , care homes, schools and nurseries. Officials said that although levels this year are not as high as 2024 - they're on the rise. It adds: "The virus infects the stomach and intestines, and is also known as a gastrointestinal virus. You can catch norovirus more than once in a short time period because multiple types (or genotypes) of norovirus circulate at any given time. You may develop limited immunity to one strain but can still be infected by a different one soon after." Additional information available on the NHS website explains that diarrhoea and vomiting can spread rapidly and easily. It advises that you should "stay off school or work until you've not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least two days", and "try to stay at home or avoid contact with other people until you feel better" if you have a high temperature and/or do not feel well enough to carry out your normal activities. To help stop any bugs spreading, in addition to the advice given above, it's recommended to clean toilet seats, flush handles, taps, door handles and surfaces daily, and avoid preparing food for others where possible. Sharing towels, flannels, cutlery or utensils should be avoided, and swimming pools should not be used until at least 48 hours after symptoms have subsided. If you've got norovirus: Symptoms include Ring 111 immediately if: Dial 999 or head to A&E if you or your child: The incubation period of norovirus is usually 12 to 48 hours. This is the time between catching the virus and developing symptoms. Individuals are most infectious when showing symptoms, but it's possible to pass on norovirus both before developing symptoms and after symptoms have stopped. You should stay at home and avoid preparing food for others until 48 hours after symptoms have completely stopped, as you may still be shedding the virus during this time. For most people, norovirus is an unpleasant but short-lived illness, with full recovery within 2 to 3 days without needing any medicine. However, some groups - including young children, the elderly or those with weakened immunity - are at risk of suffering more serious and prolonged illness, which may require medical treatment. Norovirus can survive on surfaces for days or weeks, this is one of the key reasons why the virus spreads so easily through communities. It is important to properly clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces using a bleach-based solution (chlorine), wearing disposable gloves where possible. The typical recommendation is to use a 0.1% sodium hypochlorite solution (i.e. 1,000 parts per million (ppm)) for surfaces. There is no specific treatment for norovirus and it cannot be treated with antibiotics because antibiotics work to fight bacteria, not viruses. The focus of treatment is preventing dehydration by drinking plenty of fluids, as vomiting and diarrhoea cause your body to lose water and salts. Elderly people, young children and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk of becoming dehydrated and may need medical treatment. Good hand hygiene is crucial to stop norovirus spreading. Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water, particularly after using the toilet, before eating or preparing food, and after cleaning up vomit or diarrhoea. Alcohol-based hand sanitisers don’t kill norovirus. Practising good hygiene and avoiding contact with others while infectious are the best ways of preventing the virus from spreading. The virus is easily transmitted through contact with infected people and any surfaces or objects contaminated with the virus, so thorough cleaning and proper hand hygiene are essential. Wash any contaminated clothing or bedding using normal washing powder at 60°C, and if possible, wear disposable gloves to handle contaminated items. Disinfect contaminated surfaces using bleach-based cleaning products where possible, as norovirus can survive on surfaces for days or weeks otherwise. No, norovirus is not related to the flu virus at all. The term ‘stomach flu’ is misleading - it's simply a common nickname for inflammation of the stomach and intestines. The seasonal flu is caused by influenza viruses, which are completely different from norovirus and primarily affect the nose, mouth, lungs and airways rather than the digestive system. Norovirus is a gastrointestinal virus. One of the norovirus genotypes (GII.17) has been incorrectly covered in the media as Kawasaki norovirus, which is a historic GII.17 variant, not another name for the current GII.17. The distinction is important because the incorrect use of ‘Kawasaki virus’ has caused confusion with ‘ Kawasaki disease ,’ which is an unrelated, very serious condition.

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