South East NHS trusts act over rise in flu cases

Some NHS trusts in the South East are urging people to wear masks following a rise in flu cases nationally.

Dr Tom Clark, chief medical officer at Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, said there had been as many cases in the county so far in December as there had been in the whole of November.

"We are expecting it to get worse over the next two weeks, so things are really critical at the moment," he said.

There was an average of 2,660 patients a day in hospital with flu in England in the first week of December – a rise of 55% on the week before, according to NHS England.

Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford said it had imposed mask rules and tighter visiting arrangements as cases surged.

Meanwhile, East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust said it had also "instituted voluntary mask-wearing by patients, visitors and staff in our gateway areas", which included emergency departments and assessment units, as well as areas where there were respiratory illnesses.

"Not everyone is able to wear a mask, but doing so can reduce the spread of respiratory conditions between patients and to our staff, so we appreciate everything which our patients and communities can do to help", the trust added.

"While masks will not entirely eliminate the risks of transmission of flu and respiratory viruses, they do reduce their spread and provide a degree of protection."

It can be enhanced by getting your flu vaccination and washing your hands, it added.

NHS England said there were enough flu patients nationally to fill more than three hospital trusts.

Health service chiefs said the total had already increased sharply since the week covered by the data, up to Sunday, with no peak in sight.

Projections suggested there could be between 5,000 and 8,000 hospital cases by the end of the second week in December. The highest ever recorded was 5,400.

West Sussex County Council has also urged its residents to get the flu vaccine.

Bob Lanzer, cabinet member for public health and wellbeing, said: "Acting now will help protect you and your loved ones through the festive season and help protect our health and social care services, as it takes around two weeks to become fully effective."

Prof Meghana Pandit, national medical director at the NHS, added: "This unprecedented wave of super flu is leaving the NHS facing a worst-case scenario for this time of year."

The version circulating this winter is H3N2 "subclade K", a type of seasonal influenza A virus, NHS England said.

People have not encountered much of it in recent years, which means there is less built-up immunity against it in the community.

Prof Pandit explained that the service had an "extremely challenging few weeks ahead".

She added that staff were "being pushed to the limit to keep providing the best possible care for patients".

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