Hospital ward closes after norovirus outbreak
A WARD at West Suffolk Hospital has closed to new admissions after several patients showed symptoms of norovirus.
Sixteen patients on ward G3 have shown symptoms of the highly contagious diarrhoea and vomiting virus.
The ward was closed to new admissions on Saturday and visiting restricted to evenings.
Anyone who does visit the ward has been urged to take extra care to wash their hands with soap and water both on arrival and when leaving the hospital.
Staff at the hospital are taking steps to stop the illness from spreading, including carrying out enhanced cleaning and ensuring patients from the affected ward are not transferred elsewhere in the hospital.
Additional signs have been put up to remind visitors to wash their hands with soap and water, while anyone who has shown symptoms of the virus is urged to stay away.
Nichole Day, executive chief nurse at West Suffolk Hospital, said: “Norovirus is very infectious and every year there are cases in the community which transfer to the hospital. Because the virus has an incubation period of several days, people are often unaware that they are carrying it until after they have passed it on.
“We are managing the current cases using our stringent infection control policies and are working hard to prevent the infection from spreading to any other wards. Our cleaning staff have also been carrying out enhanced cleaning in the affected area.
“We would advise anyone who has had diarrhoea or vomiting to stay away from the hospital for at least 72 hours after they have recovered, even if they feel better. Otherwise they run the risk of unknowingly passing the highly contagious illness on to someone who is already sick.”
For full details, see Friday’s Bury Free Press.
Email to a friend
Print this page- New mayor drives through Tesco’s doors
- Leading role given to ‘trailblazing’ schools
- Old friends form new group with man who toured in hit band
- World’s first professor of networking to speak at West Suffolk College business breakfast
- Future of HMV in Bury St Edmunds is secured after business is sold by administrators
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Bury St Edmunds
Saturday 25 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North west
