People warned to stay safe from flu following national rise in cases
Around 5,000 hospital beds in England are estimated to be filled with patients with flu
People across Herefordshire and Worcestershire are being reminded to keep themselves and loved ones safe from the flu following a rise nationally in cases.
Around 5,000 hospital beds in England are estimated to be filled with patients with flu, with several NHS trusts having declared critical incidents due to "exceptionally high demands" in emergency departments.
Public health consultant for Worcestershire County Council Matthew Fung says they saw a real increase in the number of cases at the end of 2024, and it's vital people know the signs to look out for to stay safe.
"We tend to see a rise in cases in winter months, so that's not out of the ordinary, what is slightly more exceptional this year is that the peak in cases that we're seeing is a lot higher than perhaps other years," he said.
"In December 2024, we had about 600 cases of flu in Worcestershire compared with around 100 cases in the November, that's a huge increase, and cases remain high.
"This puts a lot more strain on NHS services in the emergency departments and our hospitals, so the more that people can do to protect themselves, the better really for them, and also the health services around us."
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust have re-introduced mask-wearing on their sites and limited the number of visitors after announcing they have more than 100 patients with flu across their hospitals.
Managing director Stephen Collman, said: “Our emergency departments remain extremely busy, despite the best efforts of our teams who worked exceptionally hard, this has meant longer waits than we would want for some of our patients at times, and we apologise for that.
“With high levels of flu and other winter infections in our community, we are doing everything we can to keep our patients safe and keep our services running effectively."
Last week, NHS data revealed the number of people in hospital with flu in England was more than four times the level it was a month ago, with officials warning cases were "rising at a very concerning rate".