Re: Norovirus shuts wards at one UK hospital in five

[Guest guest]

This is very informative, and Bath is a mere 28 miles or so from my

location.

I HAD noticed more pools of vomit on my local streets than usual, but

I put it down to over drinking on New Year's eve!

Regards and hope all is well with you. A very Happy New Year to to

you and all the subscribers to this forum.

Mike.

>

> Norovirus shuts wards at one hospital in five

> By , Medical Editor and Aislinn Simpson

> Last Updated: 10:53pm GMT 03/01/2008

> A fifth of the country's hospitals have wards that have been shut as

> the winter vomiting virus strikes staff and patients.

>

> Cases of the virulent nororvirus bug are expected to peak at about

> 200,000 a week over the next month.

>

> The disease, which causes two or three days of violent vomiting and

> diarrhoea, is at its highest level for five years. Doctors have

warned

> patients to stay at home to avoid spreading the bug.

>

> Hospitals are especially vulnerable and anyone who has been ill with

> the bug recently is asked not to visit relatives for fear of taking

> the highly contagious infection on to wards.

>

> A survey by The Daily Telegraph found that 30 hospital trusts in

> England had closed wards to new patients as staff struggled to

contain

> the bug and many other hospitals had recently suffered outbreaks.

>

> The reporting system is voluntary so the number of closures could be

> higher.

>

> NHS Direct reported yesterday that 1.2 million people asked its

staff

> for advice over the extended Christmas period. Vomiting was the

second

> most common complaint after dental pain.

>

> Norovirus is the most common cause of infectious stomach upset and

> although extremely unpleasant it is not normally dangerous, although

> it can lead to complications in vulnerable, elderly or very young

> patients. Hospitals in the North West and South West have been hit

> hard in this winter's norovirus season.

> # Wristwatch ban for doctors 'puts patients at risk'

> # Vaccine to combat all types of flu 'by 2011'

>

> One of the hospitals worst affected is the Royal Oldham Hospital in

> Greater Manchester, where 66 cases were reported.

>

> Fin McNicol, the hospital's spokesman, said that strict infection

> control measures and a ban on all but essential family visits had

> brought infection numbers down to 40 and bed closures down from 40

to

> 26 yesterday.

>

> " Everyone knows someone that's poorly just now, " he said. " In terms

of

> the virus's effects on the hospital, it does appear to be more than

> normal but we have tried and tested prevention measures in place. "

>

> The Royal United Hospital in Bath has seven wards closed. Francesca

> , director of nursing at the hospital, said: " We do have a

> significant number of wards closed and are taking the situation very

> seriously.

>

> " We want to keep these wards closed for the time it takes to get rid

> of the infection and we will only reopen when it is safe to do so. "

>

> She added: " We want to encourage anyone with symptoms of vomiting

and

> diarrhoea to seek advice from their GP first.

>

> " People are still turning up at the hospital which could cause

serious

> capacity issues.

>

> " We need sufficient beds to cope with serious cases and would like

to

> ask the public to offer us their continued support. "

>

> Some regions appear to have avoided ward closures including the East

> Midlands, London and the North East.

>

> A spokesman for the Health Protection Agency said: " It is not

unusual

> to see outbreaks occurring in hospitals, as the virus quickly

spreads

> in confined environments.

>

> " Taking action early in an outbreak by closing a ward to new

> admissions can help control outbreaks. "

> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?

xml=/news/2008/01/04/nnoro104.xml

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Mike, LOL. Best of luck avoiding this bug. Do try to stock up on

medicine and masks before supplies are exhausted, especially since

things are supposed to get worse before they get better. I do not

know what medications would help, but there has got to be something.

A very Happy New Year to you! Mine will be happier if the airlines

will forbear importing this norovirus to America.

>

> This is very informative, and Bath is a mere 28 miles or so from my

> location.

>

> I HAD noticed more pools of vomit on my local streets than usual, but

> I put it down to over drinking on New Year's eve!

>

> Regards and hope all is well with you. A very Happy New Year to to

> you and all the subscribers to this forum.

>

> Mike.