'Flunami' warning as public health experts urge Brits to self isolate this Christmas

The UK is sitting on a cresting wave of infections, the NHS has said, with flu and norovirus cases surging as Brits prepare to mingle with their family and friends at Christmas

Health experts have issued a "flunami" warning as Brits buckle down for Christmas Day, with the general public told to resurrect Covid-era rules to protect one another from a predicted surge of lurgies and major infections.

Winter, which officially began by astrological standards a few days ago on December 21, is typically one of the most virus-saturated times of year. The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) has noted a roughly 350 percent increase in flu cases since December 5 alone, with an in-kind rise of vomiting bug norovirus of around 86 percent.

Covid activity, on the other hand, has largely settled over the period, with cases maintaining a baseline rather than surging in line with other diseases. But experts have urged Brits to take on some of the lessons they've learned from the pandemic over the next week or so to keep their potentially vulnerable relatives safe while they celebrate.

Public health specialists speaking to the Daily Mail have said people experiencing even mild cold symptoms should consider self-isolating. Symptoms suggesting some level of infection could prove fatal in others, with older and immune compromised Brits more likely to die from the flu.

They told the publication that families should consider not gathering for December 25, and even don masks where necessary while infections remain a possibility. Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia and expert in infectious diseases, told the publication flu-ridden Brits should consider staying away from others "for the first three days" and possibly the first whole week of the holiday period.

He said: "If you are ill with flu you should stay away from other people for the first three days and preferably for the first week. This is especially important if they are elderly or suffer from medical conditions that make them more at risk." Professor Lawrence Young, virologist from the University of Warwick, agreed, saying Brits should at least limit contact with at-risk individuals.

He said: "If you have flu-like symptoms, it’s really important to think about limiting your contact with other people particularly those who are clinically vulnerable to chest infections." The warnings from some of the UK's top infectious disease experts follow startling statistics posted by the NHS which show cases of the flu have surpassed sky-high totals reported in 2023.

The latest weekly figures published on December 19 show that one in 20 hospital beds are either occupied or closed due to a winter bug. Around 2,504 of those alone are occupied by flu patients, an increase of approximately 40 percent on the preceding week, when the NHS reported 1,795 cases.