Norovirus outbreak at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital

Norovirus outbreak in Devon hospital
BBC news item

Some wards have been closed and some routine operations have had to be cancelled at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital because of the vomiting bug. Visitors who have had any diarrhoea and vomiting symptoms in the past three days are asked to stay away.

Hospitals and schools have been hit by the winter vomiting virus as figures show the norovirus has taken hold across the UK.

The winter vomiting bug is sweeping through schools and hospitals
article in the Telegraph

Extract:

"People who have been ill are being asked to stay away from hospitals in an attempt to keep wards operating normally and stop patients who are already ill and vulnerable from contracting it.

GPs have also urged people to stay at home and not visit the surgery if they get symptoms unless they are elderly, very young or have long-term illnesses, as this spreads the bug further.

The winter vomiting bug has taken hold at the same time seasonal flu is now circulating meaning health services will be under extra pressure over the Christmas period.

The norovirus bug is not normally dangerous but is extremely contagious and can spread rapidly through wards, classrooms, hotels and cruise ships.

It causes violent sickness and is most common through the winter months.

Professor Steve Field, president of the Royal College of General Practitioners said if people stay at home and drink plenty of fluids the spread of the bug can be minimised.

He said: "Obviously we worry about very young babies, the very old and people who are immunocompromised, but generally you do not need to go and see your doctor."

Thorough hand washing after using the lavatory is vital to halt the spread and frequent hand washing and disposing of tissues after use also helps to prevent others catching flu.

Last year saw record levels of norovirus with an estimated five million people struck down as the season started abnormally early and lasting into February.

This year is not expected to be as bad and since July there have been 1337 cases confirmed by laboratory testing carried out by the HPA, compared with 1661 cases confirmed in the same period last year."

You can boost your immunity to infection by cutting down on salt and salty food.

Hospitals are facing a winter crisis as a sharp rise in cases of flu and other viruses forces some to close wards to new patients.

Hospitals forced to close wards as virulent winter bug spreads
report in the Sunday Telegraph

Extract 1:

"The vomiting bug norovirus – the most common gastrointestinal illness in the UK, affecting up to a million people every year – is causing particular problems, with NHS chiefs forced to warn sufferers to stay away from doctors' surgeries and hospitals for fear of spreading it further.

Affected hospitals include Addenbrooke's in Cambridge, Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, Worcestershire Royal Hospital and York Hospital.

Several trusts said the knock-on effect was making it difficult to meet the Government's target of admitting, or dealing with, 98 per cent of emergency patients within four hours.

One of London's three major trauma centres, St George's in Tooting, was issued a 'black alert' and closed its doors to emergencies for a number of hours on Monday after experiencing a 14 per cent surge in demand compared to the same period last year.

Staff at St George's reported that up to 20 patients requiring urgent admission had to be kept on beds in A&E as wards were full.

Some were diverted to neighbouring hospitals, including Mayday in Croydon, Kingston Hospital and St Helier in Sutton, all of which reported pressure on their own capacity.

The Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital closed its doors to all visitors last week after 12 of its 49 wards were infected, forcing it to postpone about 60 non-urgent operations.

It faced extra pressure from emergency admissions caused by falls on ice, with nearly 100 people going into the emergency department with ice-related injuries on Monday alone.

In Carlisle, two elderly care wards at the Cumberland Infirmary were closed last week in a bid to isolate the norovirus bug. Nearby Wigton cottage hospital was closed to all admissions and non-emergency transfers for the second time in a fortnight.

Two wards at East Surrey Hospital closed, while five at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn were shut or under observation.

At the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, six wards were closed, reducing the number of beds available to patients by 130.

Sarah Byrom, the chief nurse, said: "While norovirus is common for this time of year, we have seen a big increase in the number of people coming into the hospital with symptoms.""

As usual, the Department of Health is on another planet:

Extract 2:

"A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "Winter crises used to bedevil the NHS. Thanks to record investment and better organisation we have not had a major winter crisis for several years. However, we constantly update our contingency plans in the light of events.""

Kissing, shaking hands and infection transmission...

Cheeky kiss is healthier than a handshake

Extract from the Sunday Telegraph:

"People who greet each other with handshakes are much more likely to pass on germs such as flu, cold and stomach bugs, than those who settle for a peck on the cheek, a scientific study has concluded.

More than three million Britons called in sick last week as flu and norovirus outbreaks swept through the country.

The majority will have been infected after touching someone else's hands and might have been better off kissing friends and relatives instead.

"The hands are critical in the chain of infection as they transmit infections from surfaces to people and between people," said Prof Sally Bloomfield, from the London School of Hygiene and chairman of the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene, which carried out the research.

"Shaking hands is the main form of physical contact with each other but you don't know what the other person has been touching before you greet them. People avoid kissing each other when they have a cold, but in fact they are more likely to pass on an infection by shaking someone's hand.""

This information fits in with what I was told many years ago when I went as a volunteer to the Common Cold Research Centre at Harvard Hospital, near Salisbury, Wiltshire. - The virologists said the most common way of catching a cold was by shaking hands with someone who had the germs on their hands and then later, rubbing your eyes - and the germs entered your body by way of the eyes... - Ever since then I have tried to avoid rubbing my eyes...

Lose weight, reduce your risk of most cancers, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, vascular dementia, osteopenia, osteoporosis, hypercholesterolaemia, depression, liver and kidney problems, and improve your health in many other ways without drugs or expense by eating less salt! - Try it! - You will feel so much better!

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