Flu Is Rising Earlier Than Usual in England – What Can We Do to Reduce the Spread?

Flu activity in England is showing signs of increasing earlier than usual this autumn, with the UK Health Security Agency reporting higher activity throughout September than during the same period in each of the previous four winter seasons.

That does not mean England is already experiencing a major flu epidemic. Overall influenza activity remains at a relatively low level, but several surveillance indicators have been moving upwards since August. For businesses, schools, universities, healthcare organisations and care settings, it is a useful reminder that winter infection prevention is worth thinking about before illness begins spreading widely through staff, students or residents.

Why Is Flu Appearing Earlier This Year?

There is no single confirmed explanation for the earlier increase.

Experts speaking about the latest figures have pointed to a combination of factors that can influence when a flu season begins. These include the particular influenza viruses circulating, the level of immunity within the population, weather conditions and people's behaviour.

The timing is also significant. Schools and universities have returned after the summer, workplaces become busier and, as temperatures fall, people generally spend more time together indoors. These conditions create more opportunities for respiratory viruses to move between people.

UKHSA has reported that the rise so far has been particularly noticeable among younger adults.

Which Flu Strains Are Circulating?

UKHSA surveillance has identified influenza A(H1N1), influenza A(H3N2) and influenza B viruses during the early part of the season.

One issue being monitored is antigenic drift. Influenza viruses gradually change over time, which is one of the reasons the composition of seasonal flu vaccines is reviewed regularly.

Some of the H1N1 viruses detected this season differ antigenically from the strain used when the vaccine was developed. However, it is too early to determine how widespread these viruses will become or what effect this may have on vaccine effectiveness.

This distinction matters. Evidence that a flu virus has changed should not be interpreted as evidence that vaccination is ineffective.

Vaccination Remains the Main Defence Against Serious Flu

For people who are eligible for seasonal flu vaccination, UKHSA and NHS advice continues to emphasise vaccination as an important way of reducing the risk of serious illness and hospitalisation.

Vaccination cannot prevent every case of flu, however, and influenza is not the only respiratory infection circulating during autumn and winter. Infection prevention therefore works best as a series of complementary measures rather than relying on one intervention alone.

Hand Hygiene Is One Part of Flu Prevention

Influenza mainly spreads through respiratory particles released when infected people breathe, talk, cough or sneeze. Hands and frequently touched surfaces can also become contaminated with respiratory secretions, providing another opportunity for infection to spread.

The NHS recommends regular hand washing as part of its advice for helping to reduce the spread of flu, alongside covering coughs and sneezes and staying at home when seriously unwell.

This means hand washing should not be presented as a single solution to influenza. Instead, it is a practical part of a wider infection-prevention approach.

Why Hand-Washing Technique Matters

The recommended hand-washing process involves much more than rubbing the palms together. Attention needs to be given to the backs of the hands, between the fingers, fingertips, thumbs and around the nails before hands are rinsed and thoroughly dried.

These are precisely the areas that can easily be overlooked during rushed or habitual hand washing.

For organisations providing hygiene training, demonstrating this visually can be considerably more effective than simply explaining the technique.

Making Hand-Washing Mistakes Visible With UV Training

Fluorescent hand-hygiene training products provide a simple way of showing participants how effective their normal hand-washing technique really is.

With products such as GlitterBug® UV training lotion, a small amount of fluorescent lotion is first spread across the hands. The participant then washes and dries their hands normally. When their hands are examined under a suitable UV light, remaining fluorescent material highlights areas that have not been washed thoroughly.

It provides immediate visual feedback and allows somebody to identify exactly where their normal washing technique can be improved.

A Practical Hand-Hygiene Training Exercise

Teaching How Contamination Moves Between People and Surfaces

Hand washing is only part of the lesson. Infection prevention also depends on understanding how easily contamination can be moved around an environment.

Fluorescent training powder can be placed on a hand, piece of paper, work surface or frequently touched object. Participants can then continue with a training exercise before the room or their hands are examined under UV light.

The demonstration can reveal how quickly material has transferred to other hands and surfaces.

Again, the powder does not represent a real measurement of viruses or bacteria. Its purpose is to demonstrate the principle of cross-contamination and make an otherwise invisible process easy to understand.

Useful Hand-Hygiene Training Equipment

Different products can be used depending on what an organisation wants to teach. Food Safety Direct's hand-hygiene range includes equipment for demonstrating hand washing, hand sanitiser coverage, cross-contamination and general hygiene awareness.

Explore the Full Hand-Hygiene Range

Where Practical Hand-Hygiene Training Can Be Useful

The current increase in flu provides a timely reason to revisit hygiene training, but the benefits extend well beyond influenza prevention.

Food production sites and catering businesses need effective hand hygiene as part of their wider approach to personal hygiene and contamination control. Schools, nurseries and universities bring large numbers of people into close contact. Care environments and healthcare organisations work with people who may be particularly vulnerable to infection, while offices, factories and other workplaces can experience significant disruption when respiratory illness spreads between staff.

Practical training can therefore be useful during staff induction, refresher training, infection-prevention campaigns, food-hygiene training, school lessons and workplace health initiatives.

Good Hand Hygiene Is a Behaviour, Not Just a Poster

The early rise in flu should not be treated as evidence that England is inevitably heading for a severe winter. UKHSA's latest surveillance still places influenza activity at baseline levels, and it is too early to know exactly how the season will develop.

It does, however, provide a useful reminder that infection prevention works best before an outbreak occurs.

Vaccination for eligible groups, appropriate action when people become unwell, respiratory hygiene and effective hand washing can all contribute to reducing opportunities for infection to spread.

For hand hygiene in particular, the most effective training is often practical. There is a significant difference between telling somebody to wash their hands properly and giving them a way to see exactly what they have missed.