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Have You Got Flu, RSV, Bronchiolitis, Covid Or Just A Cold? Symptoms Of All The Nasty Bugs Rife Right Now
FEELING sniffly? It's that time of year again when everyone battling hacking coughs, sore throats and streaming noses.
What winter bug has got you feeling rubbish this time? Is it a cold, RSV, Covid - or could it be the flu?
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What winter bug has got you feeling rubbish this time?Credit: Getty
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The number of people testing positive for the flu is increasing week on weekWith flu cases surging across the country, the virus is a strong contender for what's knocking you down.
Cases jumped by two-thirds in just one week, health chiefs have warned.
Figures show there were around 1,100 people in hospital with the flu last week, compared to 240 in the same week in 2023.
The number of people testing positive for flu in England also increased by 11 per cent in the week ending December 1, compared to 6.6 per cent in the previous week, according to UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) surveillance data.
GPs have also seen a surge of people seeking consultations for flu-like illnesses, accounting for 6 per 100,000 of the population compared with 4.5 per 100,000 in the previous week.
On top of that, we've got rising levels of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), bronchiolitis and norovirus, and let's not forget Covid , which is still making the rounds too.
"Flu is the cause of the rise in winter illnesses that we've seen in the past week, with emergency department attendances also increasing," Dr Alexander Allen, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA said.
"RSV continues to spread at higher levels across all age groups.
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SICK OF THE COLD?
The 6 chilling ways the cold is harming your health and how to fight back"If you are showing symptoms of flu or Covid-19 such as a high temperature, cough, and feeling tired and achy, try to limit your contact with others, especially those who are vulnerable."
Sun Health Explainer: NorovirusHealth chiefs warned people eligible for a free flu vaccine to take up the offer.
Professor Susan Hopkins, chief medical advisor at UKHSA, said: "It's clear that unless more of those eligible to receive a flu vaccine come forward to receive their flu vaccine, we are likely to see more cases of flu, and more hospitalisations and deaths, than we saw last year.
"It is still early in the season, so there is still time to change the trajectory and reduce the impact of flu in our communities in time for Christmas, but time is running out.
"It's vital that those eligible who have still not been vaccinated come forward as soon as possible before the NHS booking system closes on 20 December – not just to protect themselves, but protect their families and friends too."
For many people, having the flu will feel like an exaggerated cold.
The NHS states that flu symptoms can come on very quickly.
They include:
In the UK, the flu vaccine is available to those who are most at risk – that includes the over 65s, pregnant women, young kids, and people with certain health conditions.
It's also free for frontline health and social care workers.
CovidMeanwhile, Covid infections are at a stable level, the same data suggests.
However, this doesn't mean the nasty bug has gone away.
According to UKHSA, Covid-19 hospitalisations accounted for 1.85 per 100,000 of the population, compared to 1.82 per 100,000 in the previous week.
Nine acute respiratory incidents related to the virus were reported in that time.
Most of the people hospitalised were aged 85 and over.
And with lateral flow tests no longer free, it can be hard to know if you have the bug.
Symptoms of Covid thought to be the same cold or flu:
The Covid vaccine rollout in the UK is still ongoing, but now it's mainly being offered to those most at risk.
This includes older adults, pregnant women, and people with certain health conditions.
Frontline workers and anyone at high risk can also get their booster shots to keep up their protection.
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RSV and bronchiolitisAs if those winter bugs weren't enough, RSV is on the rise, with cases now circulating across all age groups, the new figures suggest.
RSV positivity has jumped to 15.5 per cent, up from 13.6 per cent last week.
Hospital admissions for RSV also increased, according to UKHSA.
It's a very common bug, and almost all children are infected with it by the time they are two years old.
Some babies may develop into bronchiolitis, which can cause serious breathing difficulties that will need to be treated in a hospital.
In the week leading to November 24, hospital visits for acute bronchiolitis shot up, according to the UKHSA data.
But the health watchdog said there was some sign of stabilisation in the number of infants needing seen in hospital emergency departments for bronchiolitis last week.
"As we are now seeing more infant bronchiolitis caused by RSV, it's important to know how to spot the signs," it added.
Symptoms of an RSV infection usually start within a few days of getting infected.
Most people only get cold-like symptoms, such as:
Babies with RSV may also be irritable and feed less than usual.
If RSV leads to a more serious infection such as bronchiolitis it may also cause:
For the first time ever, millions of people in the UK will be able to receive a free RSV vaccine on the NHS.
Anyone aged between 75 and 79 is eligible for one dose of Pfizer's jab Abrysvo to tackle RSV.
All women who are at least 28 weeks pregnant are also being invited for a shot to help keep themselves and their babies safe.
Which cold and flu remedies actually work?
Sun Health reporter Isabel Shaw put nine well-known cold and flu remedies when she was struck with a lurgy.
Over the course of a week, she tried products targeted at all symptoms associated with cold and flu, as well as treatments that only aimed to get rid of specific issues.
These included:
She took into account pain reduction, and how quickly and for how long they worked.
Read her full verdicts here
A coldRhinovirus, more commonly known as the common cold, is a mild viral infection that circulates all year long.
Professor John Tregoning, of Imperial College London, previously told The Sun that the bug usually peaks in about October but "never really goes away".
It's normal for a child to have eight or more colds a year, and adults two, official guidance states.
The NHS says a common cold can cause:
The difference between a cold and the flu is that a cold does not typically cause such a sudden spike in temperature.
Norovirus
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Norovirus surged by 43.9 per cent in two weeks leading up to November 24 (week 46 on chart)Meanwhile, cases of a nasty bug causing violent bouts of diarrhoea and vomiting have surged by almost 44 per cent in the two weeks between November 11 and 24.
This is almost double the amount of cases normally seen at this time of year.
UKHSA issued an urgent 'stay at home warning' to anyone with telltale symptoms of the highly contagious virus to avoid spreading it further.
"Norovirus activity is now increasing again across all age groups, with the biggest increase in adults, particularly adults aged 65 years and over," it said.
According to the health watchdog, the rise in cases "has begun earlier than usual".
The total number of cases reported was almost double the amount typically seen at this time of year, UKHSA added.
The main symptoms of norovirus are:
The symptoms start suddenly within one to two days of being infected.
Amy Douglas, epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: "If you've caught the virus, take steps to avoid passing the infection on.
"If you have symptoms like diarrhoea or vomiting, do not return to work, school or nursery until 48 hours after your symptoms have stopped and don't prepare food for others in that time either.
"If you are unwell, avoid visiting people in hospitals and care homes to prevent passing on the infection in these settings.
"Washing your hands with soap and warm water and using bleach-based products to clean surfaces will also help stop infections from spreading.
"Alcohol gels do not kill norovirus so don't rely on these alone."
Who is eligible for free Covid, flu and RSV vaccines?
In line with JCVI advice, those eligible for a flu vaccine this year include:
From October 3:
From September 1:
Those eligible for an autumn Covid booster are:
Those eligible for an RSV vaccine are:
Is A Cold, Flu, COVID, RSV Or Pneumonia? Symptoms And How To Avoid Them This Winter
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What Are The Symptoms Of Bird Flu?
It's the season for sniffles and sore throats, which means that scientists are monitoring the usual suspects like influenza, RSV, and COVID-19. But they're also watching another virus this winter: H5N1 avian influenza, or bird flu.
U.S. Health agencies say that the virus currently poses a low risk to the general public, even though it is spreading widely among chickens, cows, and other animals. There have been 55 confirmed human cases in the U.S., according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and all but two of those people had been exposed to sick poultry or cattle. There is currently no evidence that the people who have gotten sick have infected other people, according to the CDC.
Nonetheless, researchers are tracking the virus in case that situation changes. Recently, a teenager in Canada was hospitalized after being infected with bird flu—and when researchers analyzed the genetic sequence of the virus that sickened the teen, they reportedly found that it had undergone mutations that could allow it to spread more easily among humans. The individual doesn't seem to have infected anyone else, but the findings underscore the possibility that bird flu could one day become a bigger risk to the general public.
Right now, experts say there's not much for the average person to worry about. (Just don't drink raw milk, which can harbor the virus, and don't touch animals that are dead or appear to be sick.) If you're curious about the signs and symptoms of bird flu, though, here's what to know.
What are the symptoms of bird flu?Many of the people in the U.S. Who have caught bird flu have reported conjunctivitis-like eye issues, including eye redness, discomfort, and discharge. That seems to be because the virus can target cells in the human eye. Farm workers who have been sickened on the job may have also been eye-level with infected animals.
Bird flu can also cause respiratory and classic flu-like symptoms, including cough, runny nose, fever, sore throat, body aches, headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, and pneumonia, the CDC says. Some people in the U.S. Who have caught bird flu have experienced respiratory symptoms as well.
How can you tell the difference between bird flu and regular flu?Bird flu and seasonal flu can look similar—but if you develop flu-like symptoms, chances are very good that it's just the regular flu or another routine winter illness. There is no indication that bird flu is spreading among the general U.S. Population, the CDC says.
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Bird flu can be diagnosed by testing samples taken from a sick person's nose, throat, or eye, but testing is primarily recommended for people who have symptoms and have been recently exposed to animals that may be sick.
Is bird flu serious?The small number of cases reported in the U.S. Have so far been mild, with none requiring hospitalization. But bird flu can be serious. The infected teenager in Canada, for example, was hospitalized and in critical condition.
People have also died during previous bird flu outbreaks. From January 2003 to November 2024, more than 900 human H5N1 cases were recorded in 24 countries, and about half of them were fatal, according to World Health Organization statistics. But those figures likely miss people with milder, potentially undetected illnesses. It is also unclear how deadly the virus would be if it evolved to spread widely from person-to-person, which never happened in these past outbreaks.
Are bird flu vaccines available?Some companies make vaccines that can be used against bird flu, and the U.S. Government recently distributed $72 million to ensure doses of these vaccines can be made available quickly if necessary.
But don't expect to find bird flu vaccines at your local pharmacy; they're not available to the public right now. Instead, focus on getting your regular flu shot if you haven't already. It won't work against bird flu, but it can help protect you against the virus you're far more likely to encounter this season.
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