December is here, and with its arrival, there has been a surge in flu cases across the UK. With a +100% increase in searches for ‘RSV’ in the past 24 hours, and +50% increases for ‘flu symptoms’ and ‘COVID symptoms’ over the past 48 hours too, Brits are being hit by winter illnesses.
FOUR viruses are on the rise in the UK this December, known as the ‘quad-demic’.
Dr John Burke, Chief Medical Officer at AXA Health shares his expertise on how to help prevent catching a virus from the quad-demic this winter as well as top tips to minimise symptoms.
What is the quad-demic?
The quad-demic is a term used to describe the surge in FOUR of the most common viral illnesses over winter – Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), flu, norovirus and COVID-19. The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) is currently monitoring the spread of the four illnesses as cases of common colds, flu and norovirus begin to rise across the UK.*
Dr Burke comments: “As we enter colder months, our bodies become more susceptible to illnesses such as sickness bugs and viruses. From cold air entering the nasal passage and airways and compromising mucus and cilia to a lack of vital vitamins, our immune system can become compromised to viruses such as the common cold, flu, norovirus and COVID-19 over winter.”
Doctor shares symptoms of the FOUR viruses in the ‘quad-demic’
|
Illness |
Symptoms |
|
RSV |
Sore throat, coughing, sneezing, runny or blocked nose, high temperature |
|
Flu |
High temperature, fatigue, body aches, sore throat, dry cough, headache |
|
Norovirus |
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, high temperature, headache |
|
COVID-19 |
Cough, high temperature, congestion, exhaustion, loss of taste and smell |
DR BURKE’S THREE TIPS TO AVOID THE QUAD-DEMIC THIS WINTER
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Practice good hygiene
Maintaining good hygiene this winter is one of the best ways to minimise the spread of illness.
Thoroughly washing your hands with soap and warm water after using the bathroom, coughing and sneezing and regularly throughout the day removes any dirt, bacteria and viruses from your hands and stops them from spreading to surfaces you may touch.
Also ensuring that surfaces are regularly sanitised reduces the chance of viruses from spreading this winter.
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Keep up to date with vaccinations
Ensure that your vaccinations are up to date. Vaccinations minimise the chances of you becoming unwell with viruses this winter, as your body has already created the vital antibodies needed to fight the virus.
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Maintain a healthy balanced diet
Making sure that you’re eating a healthy and balanced diet over winter can minimise the chances of you becoming unwell. Having a diet rich in nutrients and vitamins, such as vitamin C can strengthen your immune system and reduce of you becoming unwell with viruses and sickness bugs.
How to relieve virus-related symptoms FAST
Dr John Burke shares: When you’re unwell with airborne viruses such as RSV, flu, norovirus or COVID-19, allowing your body time to rest enables your body to not only focus on fighting the virus but to also recover quicker.
With any illness that causes sickness, it’s really important to maintain fluid levels whilst unwell to prevent dehydration. Our bodies lose a lot of fluids through vomiting and diarrhoea therefore, you must be regularly drinking clear fluids and electrolytes when you are unwell to keep fluid levels up.
Over-the-counter medicines, such as paracetamol can be used to help reduce symptoms and you can seek advice online or from your local pharmacist.