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Increasing transparency in our winter statistics

The winter is a busy time for those working in public health and the health services. This coming winter, there is potential for respiratory or infectious diseases such as COVID-19, flu, RSV and norovirus (the “winter vomiting bug”) to coincide. We can also anticipate...

ESPAUR report 2022 – the latest findings on Antimicrobial Resistance

Antimicrobial drugs are commonly used. We have all heard of antibiotics, which fight bacteria, but there are also antifungals, antivirals and antiparasitics that fight fungi, viruses and parasites, respectively. The more we use these drugs, the less effective they...

Norovirus: What to do if you catch it and helping to stop the spread

Norovirus, commonly known as the winter vomiting bug, is a stomach bug that causes sickness and diarrhoea. Following lower levels than normal throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have started to see an increase in norovirus activity as we head into the winter period....

An update on avian flu

The current situation A record number of cases of avian influenza virus infections, or ‘bird flu’ , were confirmed across England, Scotland, and Wales in wild and captive birds last winter (2021/22). Normally, detections of bird flu decrease during the spring and...