VIRAL LOAD
Have you got flu, RSV, bronchiolitis, Covid or just a cold? Symptoms of all the nasty bugs rife right now
We also test out which over-the-counter cold and flu remedies actually work, and show you how to book your lifesaving vaccines
FEELING sniffly? It's that time of year again when everyone battling hacking coughs, sore throats and streaming noses.
What winter bug has got you feeling rubbish this time? Is it a cold, RSV, Covid - or could it be the flu?
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With flu cases surging across the country, the virus is a strong contender for what’s knocking you down.
Cases jumped by two-thirds in just one week, health chiefs have warned.
Figures show there were around 1,100 people in hospital with the flu last week, compared to 240 in the same week in 2023.
The number of people testing positive for flu in England also increased by 11 per cent in the week ending December 1, compared to 6.6 per cent in the previous week, according to UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) .
Read more on flu
GPs have also seen a surge of people seeking consultations for flu-like illnesses, accounting for 6 per 100,000 of the population compared with 4.5 per 100,000 in the previous week.
On top of that, we’ve got rising levels of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), bronchiolitis and norovirus, and let’s not forget Covid , which is still making the rounds too.
“Flu is the cause of the rise in winter illnesses that we’ve seen in the past week, with emergency department attendances also increasing," Dr Alexander Allen, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA said.
"RSV continues to spread at higher levels across all age groups.
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“If you are showing symptoms of flu or Covid-19 such as a high temperature, cough, and feeling tired and achy, try to limit your contact with others, especially those who are vulnerable."
Sun Health Explainer: Norovirus
Health chiefs warned people eligible for a free flu vaccine to take up the offer.
Professor Susan Hopkins, chief medical advisor at UKHSA, said: "It’s clear that unless more of those eligible to receive a flu vaccine come forward to receive their flu vaccine, we are likely to see more cases of flu, and more hospitalisations and deaths, than we saw last year.
"It is still early in the season, so there is still time to change the trajectory and reduce the impact of flu in our communities in time for Christmas, but time is running out.
"It’s vital that those eligible who have still not been vaccinated come forward as soon as possible before the NHS booking system closes on 20 December – not just to protect themselves, but protect their families and friends too."
For many people, having the flu will feel like an exaggerated cold.
The NHS states that flu symptoms can come on very quickly.
They include:
- An aching body
- A sudden high temperature
- Feeling tired or exhausted
- A dry cough
- A sore throat
- A headache
- Difficulty sleeping
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhoea or tummy pain
- Feeling sick and being sick
In the UK, the flu vaccine is available to those who are most at risk – that includes the over 65s, pregnant women, young kids, and people with certain health conditions.
It's also free for frontline health and social care workers.
Covid
Meanwhile, Covid infections are at a stable level, the same data suggests.
However, this doesn't mean the nasty bug has gone away.
According to UKHSA, Covid-19 hospitalisations accounted for 1.85 per 100,000 of the population, compared to 1.82 per 100,000 in the previous week.
Nine acute respiratory incidents related to the virus were reported in that time.
Most of the people hospitalised were aged 85 and over.
And with lateral flow tests no longer free, it can be hard to know if you have the bug.
Symptoms of Covid thought to be the same cold or flu:
- A high temperature
- Aches
- Tiredness
- A cough or sore throat
The Covid vaccine rollout in the UK is still ongoing, but now it's mainly being offered to those most at risk.
This includes older adults, pregnant women, and people with certain health conditions.
Frontline workers and anyone at high risk can also get their booster shots to keep up their protection.
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RSV and bronchiolitis
As if those winter bugs weren't enough, RSV is on the rise, with cases now circulating across all age groups, the new figures suggest.
RSV positivity has jumped to 15.5 per cent, up from 13.6 per cent last week.
Hospital admissions for RSV also increased, according to UKHSA.
It's a very common bug, and almost all children are infected with it by the time they are two years old.
Some babies may develop into bronchiolitis, which can cause serious breathing difficulties that will need to be treated in a hospital.
In the week leading to November 24, hospital visits for acute bronchiolitis shot up, according to the UKHSA data.
But the health watchdog said there was some sign of stabilisation in the number of infants needing seen in hospital emergency departments for bronchiolitis last week.
"As we are now seeing more infant bronchiolitis caused by RSV, it’s important to know how to spot the signs," it added.
Symptoms of an RSV infection usually start within a few days of getting infected.
Most people only get cold-like symptoms, such as:
- A runny or blocked nose
- A cough
- Sneezing
- Tiredness
- A high temperature – signs include your back or chest feeling hotter than usual, sweatiness and shivering (chills)
Babies with RSV may also be irritable and feed less than usual.
If RSV leads to a more serious infection such as bronchiolitis it may also cause:
- A cough that gets worse
- Shortness of breath
- Faster breathing or long gaps between breaths
- Difficulty feeding (in babies) or loss of appetite
- Noisy breathing (wheezing)
- Confusion (in older adults)
For the first time ever, millions of people in the UK will be able to receive a free RSV vaccine on the NHS.
Anyone aged between 75 and 79 is eligible for one dose of Pfizer's jab Abrysvo to tackle RSV.
All women who are at least 28 weeks pregnant are also being invited for a shot to help keep themselves and their babies safe.
Which cold and flu remedies actually work?
Sun Health reporter Isabel Shaw put nine well-known cold and flu remedies when she was struck with a lurgy.
Over the course of a week, she tried products targeted at all symptoms associated with cold and flu, as well as treatments that only aimed to get rid of specific issues.
These included:
- Hot honey and lemon
- Steam inhalation and Vicks Vaporub
- Echinacea
- Chicken soup
- A spicy curry
- Beechams All in One Oral Solution
- Strepsils
- Lemsip Max
- Sudafed Blocked Nose Spray
She took into account pain reduction, and how quickly and for how long they worked.
Read her full verdicts here
A cold
Rhinovirus, more commonly known as the common cold, is a mild viral infection that circulates all year long.
Professor John Tregoning, of Imperial College London, previously told The Sun that the bug usually peaks in about October but "never really goes away".
It's normal for a child to have eight or more colds a year, and adults two, official guidance states.
The NHS says a common cold can cause:
- A blocked or runny nose
- A sore throat
- Headaches
- Muscle aches
- Coughs
- Sneezing
- A raised temperature
- Pressure in your ears and face
- Loss of taste and smell
The difference between a cold and the flu is that a cold does not typically cause such a sudden spike in temperature.
Norovirus
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Meanwhile, cases of a nasty bug causing violent bouts of diarrhoea and vomiting have surged by almost 44 per cent in the two weeks between November 11 and 24.
This is almost double the amount of cases normally seen at this time of year.
UKHSA issued an urgent 'stay at home warning' to anyone with telltale symptoms of the highly contagious virus to avoid spreading it further.
"Norovirus activity is now increasing again across all age groups, with the biggest increase in adults, particularly adults aged 65 years and over," it said.
According to the health watchdog, the rise in cases "has begun earlier than usual".
The total number of cases reported was almost double the amount typically seen at this time of year, UKHSA added.
The main symptoms of norovirus are:
- Feeling sick (nausea)
- Diarrhoea
- Being sick (vomiting)
- A high temperature
- A headache
- Aching arms and legs
- High temperature
The symptoms start suddenly within one to two days of being infected.
Amy Douglas, epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: "If you’ve caught the virus, take steps to avoid passing the infection on.
"If you have symptoms like diarrhoea or vomiting, do not return to work, school or nursery until 48 hours after your symptoms have stopped and don’t prepare food for others in that time either.
"If you are unwell, avoid visiting people in hospitals and care homes to prevent passing on the infection in these settings.
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“Washing your hands with soap and warm water and using bleach-based products to clean surfaces will also help stop infections from spreading.
"Alcohol gels do not kill norovirus so don’t rely on these alone.”
Who is eligible for free Covid, flu and RSV vaccines?
In line with JCVI advice, those eligible for a flu vaccine this year include:
From October 3:
- Those aged 65 years and over
- Those aged 18 years to under 65 years in clinical risk groups (as defined by the Green Book)
- Those at serious risk, including those with a BMI over 40, diabetes, heart and breathing conditions
- Those in long-stay residential care homes
- Carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
- Close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
- Frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer-led occupational health scheme - including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers
- Those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants.
From September 1:
- Pregnant women
- All children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2024
- Primary school-aged children (from Reception to Year 6)
- Secondary school-aged children (from Year 7 to Year 11)
- All children in clinical risk groups aged from 6 months to less than 18 years
Those eligible for an autumn Covid booster are:
- Residents in a care home for older adults
- All adults aged 65 years and over
- Persons aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group, as defined in the Green Book, including pregnant women
- Frontline health and social care workers and staff in care homes for older adults
Those eligible for an RSV vaccine are:
- Pregnant people from 28 weeks onwards
- People aged 75 to 79
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