Two years of lockdown measures and limited exposure to bugs seems to have disrupted the usual patterns of seasonal viruses, health experts have said.
As flu, Covid, infections with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Strep A circulate among the population creating a massive strain on the NHS, it seems some are striking earlier than usual. According to Graham Brown, consultant in communicable disease control for Public Health Wales, Strep A has especially arrived earlier than it's usual peak in spring.
But we are also seeing a return to more normal "waves" of winter respiratory diseases after a near-three years of their spread being disrupted by lockdown measures, Dr Brown added. With all four arriving together, it's placed hospitals across the country under great strain and caused some to declare a major incident. On Monday, Betsi Cadwaladr health board in north Wales declared an internal critical incident as it struggled to cope with "prolonged, unprecedented demand across the health and social care system".
