14 Mar 2012
A hospital is banning all visits to its adult in-patient wards in a bid to contain an outbreak of the winter vomiting disease Norovirus.
Norovirus is an infection that spreads rapidly in the community, and is not hospital-acquired. The bug causes violent sickness and diarrhoea.
The infection is affecting eight wards at Chesterfield Royal Hospital, and staff fear the hospital is in considerable danger of not being able to function. This has prompted the hospital to prohibit all visits until the issue is resolved.
“Following the closure in February, we have continued to appeal to the community not to visit if they have symptoms,” said the hospital in a statement. “Despite this there have been several further occasions where visitors have come to hospital and experienced episodes of diarrhoea and sickness on our wards. This is not helping us to resolve this outbreak.”
The statement went on: “The illness is self-limiting, but can have severe consequences for patients who are already fighting illness and recovering from surgery.”
Many patients and staff have fallen ill with the infection, the hospital said.
The hospital added that it was banning all visits “with deep regret”.
Copyright Press Association 2012