Over the Christmas period last year, the NHS reported a significant increase in views to their website on a range of topics. One of the most viewed pages was about coughs, colds and chest infections, which is unsurprising given that winter is the season for colds and flus. However, there was also a notable increase in visits to pages about alcohol, including drinking while breastfeeding, alcohol poisoning and even rabies.
While breastfeeding, small amounts of alcohol can pass into breast milk and impact the baby. The rate of visits to the webpage about the topic increased by 146% during the week of Christmas, indicating that new mothers may not have accounted for the effects of alcohol on their babies during the festive season. Nevertheless, the NHS website’s information reveals that an occasional drink is unlikely to cause harm to the baby.
The webpage on alcohol poisoning also experienced a 60% increase in page views over the Christmas period. This follows the common trope of people drinking more than usual during the holiday season and therefore being at a higher risk of alcohol poisoning. Meanwhile, the number of visitors to pages about burns and scalds increased by 50%, implying that preparing festive meals and dealing with hot drinks may have caused more accidents.
Finally, information on animal and human bites, as well as rabies, saw an increase of around a third and 123%, respectively, over the holiday season. This could be attributed to people spending more time outside with their pets, hunting or traveling during the holiday season.
Overall, the NHS notes that accidents and injuries can happen over the Christmas period. While staff are working hard to provide care during the season, their website and app offer advice and information around the clock. For emergency health needs, people can call 911 while those looking for less urgent care can call 111
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