COVID-19, Flu, RSV, Norovirus, H5N1 Avian Flu and Other Virus and Health UK and World News Update 12th December 2025
Shall we start with the huge elephant sitting in the centre of the room? My genuine commiserations to anyone who has flu right now...
By crikey UK flu is making the news worldwide. It's not good, but ignore anything with three exclamation marks!!! and sit yourself down (preferably beside an open window)...
Better than the headlines suggest:
- Some schools are closed to create a firebreak and stem transmissions, and in some cases for a deep clean. This happens, it just doesn’t often make the national news.
- The rates in England at 1,717 patients in a hospital bed each day 2 weeks ago (including 69 in critical care) are a massive 7 times as high as the same point in 2023 (average 243 flu patients a day), but actually only 1.6 times as high as the same week last year (2024 average 1,098 and 39 in critical care). It's bad, but 2023 was a low year, so not a fair comparison.
- Flu arrived early, and although it's at record-breaking and eye-watering levels FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR, with doubling and tripling of hospitalisations week on week, so far it's actually tracking a pretty normal pattern (albeit a month early). Even the UK HSA bulletin says "medium levels". Obviously medical bosses try to plan ahead, so staffing levels and 'free' beds, planned procedures, etc are out of sync, causing extra pressure.
- As I've previously reported, the human Flu A(H3N2) which we were expecting has mutated or 'drifted' into 'Variant K', which is likely to creep past existing immunity for more people, and means our vaccination isn’t a perfect match. An 'H3N2 year' does tend to create more cases and we've not had one for a couple of years, so immunity is waning a bit, but it is NOT a new flu.
- We could see more people ill and therefore more people hospitalised, but all evidence suggests Variant K A(H3N2) is NOT more severe or more deadly. Folk aren't dropping like flies, this is NOT an horrendously deadly new superflu.
Honest headlines:
- Australia and some Asian countries had a very long flu season, so while hospitals were not necessarily overwhelmed, numbers for the whole season were much higher (2 weeks ago Australia were still recording confirmed cases, with 441,000 at that point, compared to 363,000 in 2024 and 289,000 in 2023). The long season could be partly because Variant K arrived and kept it going for longer, maybe...
- We are still seeing large number of schoolchildren with flu in the UK, while infections are spreading through older populations, so our 'wave' could be moving more slowly, but only time will answer that.
- On Tuesday Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital in Stafford declared critical incidents due to sustained high demand, including flu patients.
On Wednesday a critical incident was declared at 4 more West Midlands hospitals - Good Hope, Heartlands and Queen Elizabeth hospitals in Birmingham, and Solihull Hospital - due to "exceptional" numbers of flu patients.
This is not new. It's demoralising and it's not good, but it’s not unusual when flu levels are high.
- Latest figures for flu patients in hospital, hospital visits, ambulance requests, GP visits, flu tests are all somewhat obviously, and somewhat normally, soaring. Last week an average 2,660 people were in hospital with flu in England alone every day. Public Health Scotland say the situation isn’t quite as bad, however they had an average 986 flu hospital admissions this week.
My twopenneth:
- It is too early to say if flu will keep rising, carry on for weeks, or just peak and tail off. At this point no-one can declare this an exceptionally bad year, especially not an AI writing clickbait headlines for a national newspaper. That said, it's not started well, so the potential exists.
- Call me a cynic, and we never want to overwhelm the NHS, but the Government want to stop the resident doctor's strikes. A lot of these headlines are dramatic and scary, they make people feel worried, and it works in the Government's favour.
There is a lot of pressure on UK hospitals, and that will likely continue for some time.
NHS bosses are asking people not to come to A&E unless you are in a life threatening condition (call 111 for advice), and wear masks if you are unwell. Probably also just stay home if you're ill whenever you can folks.
Lots of scientists are pointing out that this year it's even more important to get your flu jab, as it will still offer you excellent protection against hospitalisation or severe illness (children and teens 70% to 75% effective, and adults 30% to 40% according to early UK HSA figures), and as a bigger number of people may get infected, you could need that protection even more. Your flu jab also protects you against Influenza A H1N1, and against Influenza B - it's a 3-pronged defence.
Unlike UK, Japan and Hong Kong, the US flu season is not early. It has now arrived, a week or so late, and is following a similar pattern to the last couple of years. They were quite bad years, so it's nothing to be excited about, but lucky it didn't have rapid spread ahead of US Thanksgiving. RSV is also late arriving in the US, and not having the impact it usually does. Enjoy it while it lasts! (Sorry if it's over already due to data being a few days behind.)
Excitingly RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) levels in the UK are rising, because we all love getting 2 chesty illnesses on top of each other. It is now at 'medium levels', which is a high normal and unwanted really.
COVID levels in the UK are on the rise (ooh fab, 3 chesty illnesses). This is annoying. There are some reports of a new variant which may cause a ripple or wave of infections, although from what I can see the 'new' variant is XFG / Stratus, which we've had since Summer, and my family caught a couple of months ago. It does now account for 75% of COVID in England, so look forward to a croaky voice for a few weeks, but no more severe illness than previous variants thankfully.
Norovirus has increased in recent weeks, but remains lower than the 5-season average for the same two-week period and within expected levels. Hurrah! Tummyache, diarrhoea and vomiting to go with your fever, snot and trouble breathing isn't exactly awesome. Get your hands washed with real soap often and well. Remember the 20 second rule? 20 Bananas, Mississippis, thousands or cockroaches, or the Star Wars Imperial march. You can even use a clock if you're posh.
"Wes Streeting has made new offer to resident doctors in England - 4,000 more training places over 3 years and emergency legislation to prioritise UK medical graduates. BMA say it will consult members on whether to call off next weeks strike - online survey till Monday"
Hugh Pym, BBC Health Correspondent
I'm seeing a lot of resident doctors who aren't impressed with the new offer, with comments including:
- 3,000 of the new training places were already promised and only 1,000 begin next year anyway.
- Every one of these “new training posts” is just a locally employed doctor post being converted into a training number, not a new job.
- This does not address pay or conditions.
- "If he can afford 9000 ACPs over 3 years to replace Drs jobs (unsafely) then he can convert those 9000 posts into actual Drs jobs."
The new vote is open until Monday, but resident doctors are next due to strike from 7am on 17th December until 7am on 22nd December, so try not to be ill or have an accident just then.
UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting is attempting to save the NHS/Government money wherever he can, and has ordered a review into potential 'overdiagnosis' of mental illness and neurodevelopmental conditions. According to The Independent, including instructing experts to investigate "whether normal feelings have become ‘over-pathologised’".
Probably not Wes.
We already know we're getting better at recognising ASD, ADHD and other neurodevelopmental conditions, plus modern life is very stressful and we're all broke, tired and have had COVID umpty times in the past 5 years, which isn't a great recipe for fantastic health. I don't know if that makes it 'normal', but 'pull your socks up' isn’t going to magically get everyone smiling and whistling back to work.
Last week the US Government announced they had come to a new deal with the UK for pharmaceuticals, and it was reported that 'the UK will pay 25% more in future'. This was a miscommunication and maybe wasn't entirely put right.
In fact the US and UK came to an agreement that the UK's NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) will increase the 'cost-effectiveness thresholds' from £20,000-£30,000 to (a still low) £25,000-£35,000 for new, innovative medicines.
This basically means they'll spend up to £35,000 extra for each added year of good quality life a pharmaceutical can deliver (treatments for ultra-rare conditions are negotiated separately). An average 3-5 more of the very pricey medicines from the US should become available for NHS patients each year.
In return, the US will exempt UK drugs and medical products from Trump’s tariffs.
"The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified a new recombinant mpox virus in England in an individual who had recently travelled to Asia.
Genomic sequencing showed that the mpox genome contained elements of clade Ib and IIb mpox.
This is not unexpected as both clades are circulating, but highlights the continued potential for mpox virus to evolve and the importance of continued genomic surveillance.
UKHSA continues to assess the significance of the strain."
This could be a single individual case, we might never see it again, or it could be the first sign of a new strain that is already circulating. This really does show why testing and surveillance are so important, and why it is vital to try and get a lid on mpox before it has a chance to become something we really do not want. Mpox is already endemic in DRC and some other African nations - where children are very heavily affected and sadly have a higher mortality rate than adults. Let's not.
The latest mpox stats for the UK are NOT encouraging. In November there were 43 new Clade 2b cases - the most in a single month since the 2022 outbreak. For comparison we had 21 in October and 17 in September. Thankfully no new Clade 1b cases, so there's something (the Clade 1b/2b person was added last month).
People at higher risk in the UK can request a vaccination, which is around 75-80% effective at preventing mpox. This is mainly men who have sex with men and have multiple sexual partners, and anyone who is a close contact of someone who has mpox, or has a high risk of exposure to the virus.
Last Wednesday, the US FDA announced Dr. Tracy Beth Høeg as this year’s 4th new head of the 'Center for Drug Evaluation and Research' - the regulatory body for US drugs (they're running through people quicker than dysentery).
Virologist Prof Dr Angela Rasmussen PhD is quoted as saying that the FDA leadership “must be either desperate or intent on ensuring FDA’s total destruction”.
Ms Høeg is a Sports Medicine Physician and Epidemiologist who has a history of questioning vaccines and opposing COVID restrictions, and she is behind 'research' which has 'discovered' 10 children who died within weeks of COVID vaccinations. For reference, these were found in the VAERS self-reporting system, which you or I could add to if we felt like it, lots of people die within a few weeks of a vaccination (including car crashes, falls etc), and we are still waiting for any evidence at all.
In fact Inside Medicine is reporting today that the US FDA themselves have sent out a memo saying the total number of US deaths (any age) linked to COVID vaccinations is 0-7... (I don't think we'll be getting any evidence about these '10 child deaths' any time soon, or ever.)
All of that aside, while a child's risk of dying from COVID is very very very tiny, it does exist. Up until June 2023, 1,642 children aged 0-17 had died in the USA from COVID. COVID vaccinations in children prevent around 1/2 to 2/3 of severe illness for over 9 months. UK studies also found that vaccinated children who catch COVID are far less likely to develop myocarditis than unvaccinated children, which can cause long term heart damage more frequently than being immediately fatal. I'm too tired for the maths, but it's pretty clear COVID vaccinations have saved the lives of far more than 10 US children.
There are concerns that this data, without investigation or supplying evidence, will be used to justify making changes to the childhood vaccine schedule in the US.
These children are not numbers, they are people, and I am incredibly sorry for all of their loved ones.
Prof Dr Angie Rasmussen, who is also editor-in-chief of Vaccine magazine, is also not impressed by RFK Jr's hand-picked ACIP US vaccine advisory panel. Oof. Before they met last week, and with rumours rife they were going to mess with the childhood vaccination schedule, she referred to them as "Levi, Malone, and their bumbling cohort of opportunistic anti-vaxxers". In fairness she's a true expert so probably spot-on. I've already discussed their impressive list of qualifications in 'nothing related to vaccinations', and how amazingly successful they are at, erm... podcasts. If you believe the experts (and I tend to) this panel is no better qualified to decide the vaccinations on the US immunisation schedule (and which are therefore free to American parents) than my new puppy Dougal.
Ms Rasmussen was correct to be concerned. University of Texas Epidemiologist Prof Katelyn Jetelina summed up: "The two-day meeting of ACIP—the committee that once guided evidence-based U.S. vaccine policy before being upended under RFK Jr.—just wrapped. And… it was something else. Disgraceful. Unprepared. Dysfunctional. Incompetent. Terrifying. Embarrassing. Opaque."
ACIP decided to stop recommending all newborn babies a Hepatitis B jab, for no clear reason and without replacing it with maternal screening or any of the other safeguards UK and EU babies get. The universal birth jab was introduced because Hep B is lifelong, and infected babies can develop liver disease and cancer a long way into the future. The US CDC estimate Hep B vaccinations have prevented illness in 6 million children over the last 30 years. This is a step backward, and the full effects won't be known for decades.
US parents can however still opt for the newborn jab, and the 2 booster doses, and it will be covered by insurance. This is reportedly in large part thanks to the evidence and strong character presented by Adam Langer, the CDC’s lead on Hep B. Thanks Adam.
Aside from this the new ACIP committee seem to have been unsure at times what they were voting on, whether their vote made the decision or if it has to be agreed by RFK Jr, and unclear about wording - causing a delay to some of the voting. Thank goodness it was nothing important, eh...
The USA is still reporting more measles cases, and the picture is looking bad ahead of the Christmas holidays. They have now reported 1,912 confirmed cases in 2025, with 84 in the last week. There have been 47 outbreaks in 2025, compared to 16 last year. The worst outbreak was obviously in West Texas, where around 800 people were infected.
The worst outbreak currently is on the Utah- Arizona border, with Utah reporting 254 cases this year so far, and case numbers rising in Arizona. South Carolina is also mid-outbreak, with 111 cases in the NorthWest alone, 27 since last Friday.
By CDC figures 11% of the confirmed US cases (218 people) have been hospitalised. 92% of those infected are unvaccinated (or vaccine-status unknown).
Portland, Oregon, USA has in 2025 broken their 1950 record for the number of Whooping Cough (Pertussis) cases. They have reported a massive 1,475 cases, with 22 infants hospitalised and sadly one fatality.
Whooping Cough is honestly horrible. The sound of my purple-faced baby brother struggling to breathe through the coughing 45 years ago has stayed with me ever since. It can cause hernias and ruptures in babies who survive, and we have a vaccine that is around 90% effective for at least a year. Vaccination is offered in pregnancy to protect newborn babies before they get their first vaccination around 8 weeks.
Soooo, bird flu....
Influenza experts working with the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organisation have published new global analysis (not yet peer-reviewed) of H5N1 and other bird flu. They warn that we are in a period of instability, with mutations happening faster than ever tracked before. These mutations aren't wiping each other out, older more established strains are co-existing with the newer ones, including clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1, which is the strain that has killed millions of birds and thousands of mammals.
While none of this is 'new' news, it's quite daunting whenever you get a round up post showing how quickly bird flu has evolved recently.
Changes to bird flu, changes to human flu, shake it up, hello pandemic... or not.
A significant number of bird, animal and human- focussed scientists are writing about the increased possibility of a human and bird flu 'reassortment' (where the jigsaw pieces of 2 flu strains come apart inside a body and then snap together in a new formation) as levels of avian influenza and human influenza are likely to be very high simultaneously across the Northern hemisphere over the next few weeks. It increases the chances, but as always, it only ever takes one unfortunate bit of timing in a single warm body. We live just a step away from all kinds of potential pandemics all the time. Be sensible, don't take pointless risks, and maybe don't go to work at the poultry farm or visit a waterfowl park if your family have all got flu.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has published a framework for European governments, detailing how they should respond to Avian Flu (most likely H5N1) in humans. The framework covers a big range of different scenarios, from those which have occurred already (e.g. single individuals infected by known sources) through to full human to human pandemic spread.
It advises Governments should be prepared BEFORE any major outbreak, in case they need to urgently boost hospital capacity, mask-wearing and 14 day quarantining of infected people. They should strengthen screening capabilities and tracking for arrivals, before they have to rely on it.
Scientists have been getting twitchy about bird flu for some while, and now public health is becoming quite fearful. We are seeing much more avian flu in birds this year in the Northern hemisphere, which means more opportunities for humans to catch it, plus our mutated flu, and a general public who are more vaccine-hesitant, and jaded by COVID and the restrictions it placed on us, and well as a USA tracking and response that's potentially severely hampered. It pays to be ready, and the real win is if it never happens.
The UK Health Security Agency (HSA) official Avian Flu risk level is still set at “very low” (1/10 - 1/3), but really the odds are always just a guess and the dice keeps rolling. It may never happen, or it might happen yesterday.
In the last week UK's DEFRA have reported new HPAI H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in:
- a large commercial poultry flock near Dereham, Breckland, Norfolk
- a backyard flock of captive birds near Castle Hedingham, Braintree, Essex
- a large commercial poultry premises near Sudbrooke, West Lindsey, Lincolnshire
- a third large commercial poultry premises near Gainsborough, West Lindsey, Lincolnshire
There are now 66 confirmed UK HPAI (highly pathogenic avian flu) outbreaks since the season began on 1st October - England 54, Scotland 1, Wales 7, Northern Ireland 4. There were 81 in the entire 2024/25 season.
In the US APHIS has listed 1 new dairy herd infected with HPAI H5N1 in the last 30 days, and a massive 108 confirmed flocks (46 commercial, 62 backyard).
Between 6 September and 28 November 2025, 442 outbreaks of HPAI were reported in domestic birds and 2,454 outbreaks in wild birds across 29 European countries, according to the latest quarterly report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and the EU reference laboratory (EURL). They expect more outbreaks throughout the entire Winter.
There's more evidence that US cattle workers (and cattle) have been unknowingly infected with H5N1 avian flu, this time from University of Texas Medical Branch.
Researchers tested cows and workers for antibodies to Influenza A (H5N1) and Influenza D (which has recently been found to circulate in cattle), and found both in low levels (2 of 128 humans), despite no reporting of previous illness.
This backs up 2 previous CDC reports suggesting infection occurs far more often than we realise (one 2024 study found 7% of dairy workers tested had H5N1 antibodies).
Good news that not all cows and people suffer symptoms, and that 1 dairy worker who was retested still had clear antibodies a year later. Bad news that invisible infection is much harder to track and contain, and risks mutations, virus adaptations and more human infection.
University of Glasgow and Cambridge researchers studying bird flu have been looking at how well humans can fight it off, and there’s a little problem with temperature. Usually the human body (37ºC) heats up to as much as 41ºC in response to viruses, which slows them down and prevents them from replicating/reproducing. This is incredibly effective against human flu. Annoyingly avian flu is happy in a bird's gut, which can be as hot as 40-42ºC - hotter than a human with a high fever. This may help explain why historically bird flu has had such a high mortality rate in humans.
Better news from Finland - where H5N1 was rife in mink farms in 2023. The Avian Flu jab A(H5N8) was given to at-risk humans beginning in Summer 2024. Lab tests have revealed that it does seem to elicit a good immune response against the Avian Flu A(H5N1) 2.3.4.4b found in wild birds (and the mink), and also the A(H5N1) 2.3.4.4b variant found on US dairy farms.
Dozens of Members of Congress have signed a letter calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to "immediately restore full avian influenza surveillance and coordination amid renewed outbreaks across the country".
Seems wise really.
The financial cost of culled birds is very clear, and already hitting the consumer. Never mind the price of eggs, wholesale prices for Thanksgiving turkeys were up 75% since October 2024.
Over 200 dead geese have been found near Manitoba, Canada. The first 165 have been confirmed as killed by H5N1.
I've spoken before about how strict South Korea are regarding bird flu, especially since discovering infections with 3 different strains in wild birds - H5N1, H5N6 and H5N9. A news report this week details 7 farms which have been punished for failing to follow biosecurity measures. They are likely to receive fines and less compensation for any culled birds.
Staff returning to work at St Bernadette School in Amelia, Ohio had a truly grim surprise. 72 dead vultures were in the playing fields. Tests are ongoing, but they are assumed to have died from Avian Flu. This is incredibly sad. Vultures are not an especially attractive bird and have a poor reputation, but they do an important cleaning job and most types are at risk of extinction.
Eight kittens have died after becoming the first confirmed cats with H5N1 bird flu in the Netherlands. The mother cat brought home a dead bird and it's believed that's how they became infected, although the mother cat has survived without illness.
The easiest prey are sick birds. You can't always know if infected birds are nearby, but if in doubt, keep your cats indoors.
Last December the UK Government announced they'd agreed a contract for over 5 million doses of human H5 influenza vaccine, to be manufactured by "UK based healthcare company CSL Seqirus UK Limited". They published a post on 19th November where they linked to the original story, but didn't provide any update information, such as saying it is stockpiled and waiting.
I tried to find out more and discovered both the US and the EU have previously struck deals with Seqiris (possibly the Australian branch), and that the UK stockpile does seem to have been delivered from 13th January 2025 and has an expiry date of 31st 0ct 2026.
The US ordered 4.4m doses of H5N1 which they requested fulfilled in entirety by May 2024. A potential second US agreement was struck in October 2024 - $34 million for approximately 3 million finished doses of "MF59®-adjuvanted H5N1 pre-pandemic vaccine and manufacture an additional lot of H5N8 antigen".
The European Commission (on behalf of 15 EU/EEA nations) agreed purchase of 665,000 doses of human H5N1 vaccine in June 2024, with an option to purchase 40m more.
New World Screwworm hasn't gone away and continues it's relentless march (flight?) North through Mexico towards the US.
It mostly affects livestock and wild mammals, but as of 28th November Mexico has reported a fairly massive 92 human cases, with 79 of those in Chiapas. At least 10 people are currently hospitalised, and sadly 5 people have died.
Two members of a tour group in France have been diagnosed with MERS - Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome. This is a coronavirus similar to SARS (and COVID), although traditionally far more deadly and less easy to catch. Human to human transmission is quite rare, people usually catch it from camels. The pair had recently been to "the Arabian Peninsula" and other tourists in France with them are being monitored. So far no other cases have been detected.
Trump Of The Day:
Autism could be linked to “these massive vaccines that are twice the size of a jar like that, a glass of water like that - into a baby’s body.”
Yes, indeedy. Trump has claimed US babies get '82 vaccines which are as big as 2 glasses of water'. Anyone remember a nurse injecting their child with half a pint of vaccine? No, because obviously it isn't true. In reality US babies get a usual 20-30 vaccine doses by 15 months (some require 2 or 3 doses to form robust immunity, e.g MMR), and each vaccination is about 1/10th of a teaspoon in size, so 10-15ml in total, most of which is water. The autism link, pah, we've already covered that in spades. Catch up Donald, and stop letting random thoughts fall out of your mouth.
Scammers are out in force at the moment. Never give out any information in response to a call, text or email you weren't expecting - even if they seem to know things about you, your bank account or what's in your Amazon basket. Any legitimate bank or other business will not mind you hanging up and checking online or calling them back on the real number you have.
Chris Whitty, the UK's Chief Medical Officer, has written his annual reports on the UK's health. Strikingly antimicrobial resistance (AMR) affects 10.8% of bacterial infections in the UK, meaning people may be ill for longer or need a second round of antibiotics. In the US that rate is over 24.5%. The reports are very interesting and covers everything from increasing rates of illness passed during pregnancy to babies and imported diseases, through to vaccination rates (dropping in children and pregnant people, rising in older adults). It looks at our failure to focus effectively on reducing illness in older people, and our success in genuinely working towards eradicating cervical cancer.
Monday was the 5th anniversary of Margaret Keenan getting the world's first ever COVID vaccination aside from participants in vaccine trials. I hope she's well, and wearing one of her cosy cardigans.
It is the weekend! It is also December! I'm not ready for Christmas at this point, and I never am, yet somehow it always works out just fine. This time of year is very stressful and hard for a lot of people, us included. Remember you can only do your best - no-one can do more than that, and no-one should expect more than that. Your time is the best gift you can give to those who really matter, it's the most precious thing you have to give, but look after yourself too, mentally and physically. Remember to open windows regularly, don't cook for others for 48 hours after being ill, and don't visit other people if you know you might be harbouring a present they really do not want.
I'll not be doing a news report on Boxing Day, I'll be eating chocolate, interesting cheese and leftover stuffing, and saying 'I don't remember that' to TV reviews of the year's news and music with my family, and probably wishing the puppy would go to sleep so I can build my new LEGO set (fingers crossed eh Santa). I shall be back in the New Year, on 9th January 2026 all being well. Thanks to all of you for being with me during 2025, I wouldn't be here without you.
From all of us here at The Brick Castle, to you, and yours, have an excellent Christmas, I hope it brings you what you need, and what you would wish for yourself. Until next year...
As Tyler Durden Says "Use Soap", Ventilate Rooms Regularly, Save The NHS...
.
.
.
Sources COVID
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
UK Health Data
UK latest COVID cases UPDATES THURSDAY 4pm
GP surveillance England Primary Care
UK Norovirus weekly update
US CDC respiratory dashboard
Reference pages H5N1
https://www.paho.org/en/topics/avian-influenza
https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html
Measles Sit Rep US CDC
Image sources
How to stop flu and RSV spreading IMAGE UK HSA
UK HSA Norovirus can be caught again image
UK HSA scarlet fever symptoms image
Sources
UK HSA Weekly bulletin
Flu and COVID surveillance report
Norovirus
UK FLu etc virus watch week 1
Flu RSV and COVID UK charting
Large surge in Scottish flu cases as new strain takes hold - BBC News w/e 23rd Nov up 45% on previous week.
Large surge English flu cases
Hospitals facing unprecedented flu season, say NHS bosses - BBC News
Week 1 UK HSA Flu figures
Is a bad flu season on the way (US) plus UK efficacy data and Australia long flu season stats
https://www.statnews.com/2025/11/20/flu-season-2025-vaccinations-still-helpful-h3n2-subclade-k/?s=09
Unlike UK, Japan and Hong Kong, US flu season is not early.
US flu season late/ RSV struggling
Schools go into lockdown as flu sweeps nation
Independent UK flu
CIDRAP
Flu week 2
Great situation report
Critical incidents
More critical incidents
Uk Flu Thursday 11th December
A&E stats UK NHS
Face masks mandatory in some hospitals, critical incidents
Flu admissions latest Thursday 11th (inc Scotland)
Flu write up Christina Pagel
COVID 'new variant' stratus XFG
UK HSA COVID variants
Hugh Pym - resident doctors
Resident doctors responses on X
2nd response
Res docs offer and strike
BMA residnet doctors want pay restitution
Wes Streeting orders review into ‘overdiagnosis’ of mental illness and ADHD in welfare spending crackdown | The Independent
US tells UK we have to spend 25% more on cutting edge pharmaceuticals
From US govt: Pursuant to the terms of the pharmaceutical pricing agreement…the United Kingdom will reverse.. decade-long trend of declining National Health Service (NHS) expenditures on innovative, life-saving medicines, and increase.. net price it pays for new medicines by 25%
NEW: The Government has announced a deal with the US on pharmaceutical pricing
"The UK will increase what it pays for new US medicines by 25%"
This is misleading.
The government has today (1 December 2025) announced that it will increase the thresholds NICE
New mpox
Warning issued after new mpox strain identified in England | The Independent
Mpox currently affected countries
UK NHS Mpox vaccinations
Bbc coverage new infection mpox
WHO cases of mpox by country
WHO mpox global situation
UK Gov mpox stats
UK GOv mpox dashboard
Tracy Beth Høeg FDA CDER
The 10 children plucked from VAERS
As of June 2023 - 1,642 children aged 0-17 have died from COVID in the USA.
4.25 m children COVID vaccinated this year in the USA
0.0003 - Infection fatality rate 0-19
Child COVID vaccinations keep around 2/3 out of hospital
Prasad picks and chooses his figures. Far less children get myocarditis from vaccination than from COVID
Prasad 10 Covid child vaccine deaths - self-reported via VAERS
US ACIP meetings 4th and 5th December
Outcome of ACIP
Add confusion over ACIP voting
And this - even the UKs The Independent was confused
RFK Jr’s advisory committee puzzled over crucial vote on immunizations | The Independent
Hep B full effects to come
Hep B vaccination
https://pandemics.sph.brown.edu/news/tracking-report
Illnesses prevented by vaccination
Prased vaccine recommendations changes
Prasad said his team found link between covid-19 shots and kids' deaths, prompting new approach
Here's Prasad's full email, if you'd like to read it for yourself: washingtonpost.com/documents/3042…
And I jotted down a few thoughts, including how the strategy of "asking more evidence" — which, sure, everyone wants more data — can lead to red tape.
Remember, he (Prasad) was always against pediatric COVID vaccines. Always.
Trcy Beth Hoeg
Dr. Vinay Prasad Opposed The Pediatric COVID Vaccine Before There Was A Pediatric COVID Vaccine
Dr. Vinay Prasad started treating vaccine side effects as a fate worse than death in January 2021, before there was a COVID vaccine for children.
There is NO evidence linking COVID-19 vaccines to deaths in children.
There IS evidence that COVID causes serious harm — including long COVID, MIS-C, cardiac complications & diabetes.
CDC measles cases US
US exceeds 1,900 measles cases as outbreaks expand | CIDRAP
Us measles UTAH
Utah Arizona
South Carolina measles
Whooping cough cases spike in Oregon, breaking 1950 record
What is whooping cough UK NHS
Whooping Cough vaccination for pregnant women
H5N1 and other avian flu
H5N1 and other bird flu mutating fast - period of instability
WHO WOAH Etc last 10 years global analysis
Changes to bird flu, changes to human flu, shake it up, hello pandemic - loads of info
Human Flu variant K mutations
ECDC Pre-Pandemic Plan H5N1
WHO update on avian influenza in the USA e.g. human H5N5 - no new information
US government letter urging restore full avian flu surveillance
Jim Costa and McBride letter to congress re avian flu surveillance
Recent study finds cows and workers with H5N1 antibodies
Study low levels of H5N1 antibodies
7% of dairy workers antibodies to H5N1
Bird flu viruses are resistant to fever
Bird flu viruses are resistant to fever, making them a major threat to humans | University of Cambridge
HPAI Europe
Dead geese Manitoba
South Korea bird flu
South Korea bird flu Translation
Dead vultures H5N1
Netherlands kittens H5N1
Avian flu jab H5N8 good against H5N1 strains
Avian flu human vaccines stockpiles US EU UK
19th Nov 2025
3rd Dec 2024
Giv UK contract with Seqiris
US contract
EU contract first US contract
Trump 2 glasses of vaccinations
CDC US vaccine schedule
CNN Trump debunking
New world screwworm
Mexico new world screwworm
France detects two MERS virus cases among tour group
Chris Whitty UK annual report
5 years of COVID vaccines
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I read every one and try my best to reply!