Official NHS data has uncovered a surprising trend in the health concerns of Britons during the festive season, with searches for advice on issues like alcohol poisoning and burns seeing dramatic increases.
Festive Spikes in Specific Health Searches
Figures from NHS England show that visits to the health service's website for guidance on specific conditions skyrocket over Christmas and Boxing Day. The most notable surge was for pages about breastfeeding and drinking alcohol, which saw a staggering 146 per cent increase in the 2023 festive period compared to the week before, jumping from 1,028 to 2,526 visits.
Similarly, searches for information on alcohol poisoning rose by 60 per cent against a typical 48-hour period, with page hits climbing from 1,268 to 2,008. In a more unusual trend, visits to NHS pages about rabies leapt by 123 per cent on Christmas and Boxing Day 2023, rising from 700 to 1,564.
Pages offering advice on animal and human bites also experienced a significant uptick, with visits increasing by a third to 1,494 from 1,128.
Cooking Hazards Lead to Burns Advice Surge
The data also highlights the risks associated with festive cooking. Views of pages covering the treatment of burns and scalds soared by 50 per cent compared to the week before Christmas, reaching 2,748 from 1,782.
More general burn advice pages attracted 2,846 visits (up from 1,990), whilst information on burns recovery drew 1,984 visits compared to 1,432.
Top Health Conditions and Official Advice
Beyond these seasonal spikes, the NHS website's most visited health condition page after Covid-19 was for norovirus, receiving 19,170 visits over a 48-hour period – equating to roughly one visit every nine seconds.
Pages for chest infections received 17,398 visits (one every 10 seconds), while advice on diarrhoea and vomiting had 11,789 views.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England's Medical Director, urged the public to use online resources wisely. "We hope everyone has a happy and healthy Christmas – but accidents and injuries can happen," he said. "If you do burn yourself putting the roast potatoes in the oven, or you pick up a winter virus, the NHS website is the best place to find useful advice on what to do."
He emphasised that while NHS staff would be working throughout the festive season, the public should contact 999 for emergencies and 111 for less urgent health needs. For all other advice, the NHS website and the NHS App are available around the clock, providing a wealth of information and access to services.
