This winter has seen a relentless wave of seasonal illnesses, with norovirus cases skyrocketing throughout the UK and flu cases setting records in the US. Hospitals are at capacity, emergency rooms are full, and flu outbreaks among children have resulted in school closures. The magnitude of infections is staggering, and many people are left wondering—why is everyone getting ill?

Norovirus, which is commonly referred to as the "winter vomiting bug," has been hitting the UK particularly hard this winter. The North West area is worst hit, with a daily average of 72 patients being admitted to hospital with the virus over the past two weeks. Statistics from NHS England show that hospitalizations due to norovirus have skyrocketed by 22% over the course of only one week, to an average of 1,160 patients per day. This is over twice the figure seen over the same period last year, when the norm was 509 patients per day.

Experts say that cases of norovirus normally increase throughout autumn and peak in winter, but this year, the rise came earlier and continues to increase. NHS officials point out that hospital staff are being put under huge pressure to deal with a large number of norovirus patients as well as other winter bugs.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, the National Medical Director of NHS England, was worried about the rising infections, saying, "There is no let-up for hospital staff who are working tirelessly to treat more than a thousand patients each day with this horrible bug, on top of other winter viruses."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, the US is having its worst flu season in more than a decade. In early February, doctor visits and hospitalizations due to the flu reached a 15-year peak. Emergency rooms are clogged, and in most states, hospitals have imposed visitor limits to stem the spread of infections.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that to date, at least 33 million individuals have contracted the flu, resulting in 430,000 hospitalizations and 19,000 deaths, of which 86 were children. The flu has resulted in a number of schools closing as a result of outbreaks, and cases continue to increase.

What's Making Everyone So Sick?

Experts say that a mix of factors is causing the high flu and norovirus cases this season. Post-pandemic socialization, lower immunity because of lower exposure in past years, and unstable vaccination rates might all be at play.

Regional Medical Director of NHS England North West, Dr. Michael Gregory, cautions that norovirus cases are still high and might keep spreading across hospitals and care homes. "We're looking to the half-term break as a break, but it's important that we all do our bit to prevent further spread," he said.

In the US, besides the flu, other viruses including COVID-19, RSV, and gastroenteritis infections are also reporting spikes. Figures from the CDC indicate that emergency room visits of RSV and COVID-19 have reduced but COVID-19 infections are high in most parts.

Identifying the Symptoms

Flu and norovirus have similar symptoms, but the way they infect the body differs.

Flu Symptoms:

• Fever
• Body aches
• Chills
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Fatigue
• Stuffy nose
• Norovirus Symptoms:
• Sudden vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Stomach cramps
• Nausea

Norovirus Symptoms:

Norovirus illnesses usually last between two and three days, compared to flu illnesses lasting a week or more. In both conditions, susceptible populations such as young children, the elderly, and those who are immunocompromised are more likely to have severe complications.

Norovirus, also called the "stomach flu," is a highly contagious infection of the gastrointestinal tract, not a respiratory virus. It transmits quickly from contaminated food and water and contact with contaminated surfaces, causing such symptoms as diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach pain.

What You Can Do to Stop Its Spread

Because of how fast both viruses spread, medical professionals highly recommend preventive actions.

For Norovirus:

• Wash hands frequently with soap and warm water, especially after using the toilet or before preparing food.
• Avoid visiting hospitals or care homes if experiencing symptoms.
• Stay home for at least 48 hours after symptoms subside to prevent spreading the virus.

For Flu:

• Get vaccinated annually to reduce the risk of severe illness.
• Avoid close contact with sick individuals.
• Practice good respiratory hygiene by covering coughs and sneezes.
• Stay home at least 24 hours after the fever has passed without the use of medication.

Dr. Gregory again emphasized the need for hygiene, saying, "Good handwashing habits can significantly reduce the spread of norovirus. Soap and warm water remain the most effective way to kill the virus."

Treatment and Recovery

Most people can be treated for flu and norovirus at home with supportive therapy. Rest, hydration, and taking over-the-counter drugs to control symptoms are the road to recovery.

For flu, antiviral drugs like Tamiflu may prevent more severe symptoms from occurring if taken within 48 hours of symptom onset. The CDC advises high-risk groups to seek advice from their physicians regarding antiviral medication.

For norovirus, hydration is crucial, as diarrhea and vomiting have the potential to cause rapid dehydration, especially in children and the elderly.

Flu season in the US remains at its peak, and UK norovirus cases are still on the increase. Although some experts are optimistic that cases will decrease by spring, the unpredictability of viral outbreaks dictates that caution must be maintained.

Hospitals and healthcare facilities are calling on people to adhere to preventive measures in order to mitigate the burden on medical resources. Vaccination, hygiene, and self-isolation when ill continue to be the best lines of defense against such illnesses.

A breakthrough study finds esketamine nasal spray may deliver meaningful improvement for treatment-resistant depression within hours. For decades, patients struggling with major depressive disorder (MDD) have had to wait weeks sometimes months for antidepressant medications to show effects. For roughly one in three people, even after trying multiple drugs, relief never comes. This group, known as treatment-resistant depression (TRD), faces limited and often frustrating options.

Now, a new clinical trial suggests there may be another path, esketamine nasal spray. Researchers report that when used as a standalone treatment, esketamine provided rapid and sustained relief for adults with TRD. Unlike traditional antidepressants that take weeks to work, improvements appeared within 24 hours and lasted throughout the study’s four-week duration. The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Ketamine, a compound first approved in the 1970s as an anesthetic, has drawn increasing attention for its antidepressant effects at lower doses. Esketamine, a chemically refined version, works on similar pathways but is more targeted.

In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved SPRAVATO, an esketamine nasal spray, for use alongside oral antidepressants in TRD. Until now, it was unclear whether the spray could stand on its own. This new phase 4 trial offers the strongest evidence yet that esketamine may be effective without an added oral drug.

The study enrolled 378 adults across 51 U.S. outpatient centers between 2020 and 2024. To qualify, participants had to show a history of poor response—defined as less than 25% improvement—to at least two antidepressants during their current depressive episode.

Key features of the trial included:

Design: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled

Groups: fixed doses of either 56 mg or 84 mg esketamine, or a placebo spray

Treatment schedule: twice-weekly dosing for four weeks

Primary measure: changes in Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores, which capture depression severity

Most participants were women (61%), and the average age was 45. All entered the study with moderate-to-severe depression.

How Esketamine Nasal Spray Works?

Within a single day of treatment, both esketamine groups reported noticeable improvements compared to placebo. By day 28, those on 56 mg showed a 5.1-point greater reduction in symptom scores versus placebo.

The 84 mg group had an even stronger effect, with a 6.8-point advantage. For perspective, traditional antidepressants often take six to eight weeks to yield measurable changes. Esketamine’s speed is one of the factors making it so promising for TRD patients, many of whom live with intense, persistent distress.

Patients who continued into the optional 12-week open-label phase—where all participants received esketamine—maintained or further improved their scores. This suggests the drug’s benefits may extend beyond the initial four weeks.

The “number needed to treat,” a measure of clinical significance, was around 6–7 for symptom response. This means that for every six or seven patients treated, at least one more experienced a meaningful reduction in depression compared to placebo. For a psychiatric intervention, that is a robust effect size.

Are There Any Side Effects of the Nasal Spray?

Like other ketamine-based therapies, esketamine is not without side effects. In this trial, the most common were nausea, dizziness, headache, and dissociation, a temporary feeling of detachment from one’s surroundings.

Importantly, these effects were short-lived, generally resolving within hours of dosing. Safety monitoring also showed no increase in suicidal thinking compared to placebo, an encouraging finding in depression research. No treatment-related deaths were reported.

Still, the psychoactive nature of the drug meant some participants could guess whether they had received esketamine or placebo, a limitation that researchers acknowledged.

For the estimated 280 million people worldwide living with major depressive disorder, and especially the one-third who don’t respond to conventional drugs, esketamine represents a potential paradigm shift.

Traditional antidepressants work by altering serotonin, norepinephrine, or dopamine. Esketamine instead targets the glutamate system, offering a novel mechanism of action. That difference matters- before SPRAVATO, psychiatry hadn’t seen a new treatment pathway in over 30 years.

Adam Janik, medical director at Johnson & Johnson and lead author of the study, emphasized the scale of the problem: “The size and scope of the global depression epidemic is staggering. Significant unmet needs remain for these patients.”

While the findings are promising, experts caution against premature conclusions. The trial population was not racially diverse, and individuals with certain psychiatric conditions were excluded. That raises questions about how well the results will apply across broader patient groups.

For decades, patients with treatment-resistant depression have cycled through medications, therapies, and hospitalizations, often with little relief. This study adds weight to a growing body of evidence that esketamine could break that cycle. While it is not a cure, the possibility of meaningful relief within hours rather than weeks could be life-changing for millions.

Two of the premature infants, each weighing under two pounds, succumbed within days of one another at San Maurizio Hospital in Bolzano, Italy. The probable cause: Serratia marcescens, a bacterium traced to detergent dispensers used to wash baby bottles and teats in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

The two premature infants, born at 23 and 27 weeks of gestation, died from overwhelming sepsis on August 12 and 13. Both deaths have raised serious questions about the hospital's infection control and hygiene practices, as well as the exceptional vulnerability of premature infants.

Italy's National Anti-Corruption and Prevention Agency (NAS) is spearheading the investigation into how a kitchen staple—dishwashing detergent—was used as a lethal vector. Preliminary tests isolated Serratia marcescens in the spout and dispensers utilized for the soap reservoir in the NICU. Authorities are investigating several alternatives:

1. The detergent could have been contaminated during transport to the hospital.
2. Improper storage or handling could have provided an environment for bacteria to flourish.
3. An infected person may have transferred the pathogen through contact with the dispenser.

The route of contamination is uncertain until laboratory tests are done.

What Is Serratia marcescens?

Serratia marcescens is no stranger to hospitals. The bacteria exist best in damp surroundings—sinks, soap dispensers, catheters—and though usually harmless to healthy patients, are deadly to those with weakened immune systems. For preemies, whose immune systems are still developing, contact can rapidly degenerate into sepsis, pneumonia, or meningitis.

Hospital administrator Pierpaolo Bertoli emphasized that the germ itself was not novel. "The bacterium's presence is not singular because it is always a threat to neonatal intensive care units," he stated. The threat, he continued, is in the immense vulnerability of NICU patients.

Immediate Response and Precautionary Measures

After the discovery, a recall of all soap from the Bolzano hospital system was ordered, and admission of no more high-risk premature infants is taking place until notice. Existing cases are being routed to hospitals in Trento, about 40 miles away.

The hospital has even transferred the 10 remaining NICU babies to a different wing as a precautionary step. The hospital's medical director, Dr. Monika Zaebisch, confirmed that proper hygiene procedures were in effect but accepted the tragedy. "Unfortunately, these two cases could not be prevented," she stated.

Why Premature Babies Are Susceptible To Deadly Infections

Prematurity, or delivery prior to 37 weeks, leaves babies with a poorly developed immune system. Under normal circumstances, transfer of protective antibodies from the mother through the placenta in the third trimester supplies babies with at least partial immunity at birth. In preemies, that all-important exchange is incomplete—or nonexistent.

This absence of maternal immunity, coupled with medical interventions like catheters, ventilators, and feeding tubes, provides an entry point for bacteria such as Serratia marcescens. Infections that would be contained within older children or adults—such as bloodstream infections, pneumonia, or meningitis—can develop quickly and be life-threatening in preterm infants.

The Bolzano tragedy is no lone wolf. Hospitals around the globe have experienced outbreaks attributed to contaminated medical devices, water supply lines, and cleaning solutions. Even slight breaches of sterilization procedures can snowball into fatal infections in vulnerable wards such as NICUs.

Dr. Josef Widmann, director of medicine for the South Tyrolean Health Authority, recognized the systemwide problem. "This is not merely one product issue," he told a press briefing. "It is a reminder that NICUs remain under constant risk of microbial exposure.

The incident comes on the heels of another Italian public health crisis: a botulism outbreak from a food vendor in southwest Italy that resulted in two deaths and sent 14 to the hospital. Combined, the incidents highlighted systemic weaknesses in food and health safety regulation.

The Public Prosecutor of Bolzano is contemplating autopsies on the infants, which would determine whether charges of malpractice were appropriate. Relatives and health advocates are demanding answers, both to pay respects to those who died and to guarantee system change.

In the meantime, NAS researchers persist in testing the recalled detergent, dispenser units, and environmental swabs from the NICU. Identification of where the contamination took place, at the production facility, in storage, or within the hospital system itself, is important not only for legal accountability but also for avoiding future such outbreaks.

While technology has long assisted in the birthing process, researchers at Kaiwa Technology, China are now taking it a step further by creating artificial wombs that can be placed inside a robot. According to Dr Zhang Qifeng, who is leading the project, the technology for artificial wombs is already significantly advanced, and the team aims to demonstrate a working prototype as early as next year.

The robot is expected to ‘become’ pregnant and carry a baby to full term in an environment filled with artificial amniotic fluid, designed to mimic the natural conditions of a human womb. Although the exact process of fertilization has not yet been disclosed, the project is being described as a potential game-changer for people who cannot conceive naturally or are unable to carry a pregnancy to term.

Ethical Concerns And Unanswered Questions

As with any radical new technology, the robot womb comes with serious ethical and legal questions. How will the egg and sperm be fertilized? What does the birthing process look like? And who will be legally responsible for the baby? Dr Qifeng says discussions with Chinese officials are already underway to create new regulations for this emerging field.

One of the biggest draws as per the company is its cost. The estimated price of using the robot for surrogacy could be around $14,000, a fraction of the $100,000–$200,000 typically spent in the U.S. for human surrogacy.

New Era Of Reproduction Or Dystopian Step?

The news has sparked a heated debate. Supporters believe the technology could offer new hope to infertile couples and free women from the physical risks of pregnancy. Some even see it as a potential solution to China’s growing infertility crisis.

Critics believe that the biological and emotional complexity of human pregnancy cannot be replicated by a machine. Experts fear that growing a baby in a completely artificial environment could have unknown effects on the child’s health and well-being, and that removing the maternal bond from the process might lead to ethical dilemmas.