Three wards at St George’s Hospital in Tooting have been closed due to an outbreak of the vomiting bug norovirus.
To help reduce the risk of the infection spreading, some bays or wards will be closed to admissions and transfers – to protect new patients from being exposed to the virus.
As new data from NHS England confirms cases of the highly infectious virus are still climbing, health chiefs are urging people to remember that a simple hack can stop the bug in its tracks.
Professor Arlene Wellman MBE, Group Chief Nurse for St George’s, Epsom and St Helier, said: “Once norovirus enters a hospital, it can rip through our wards like wildfire, making patients even sicker. We are doing everything we can to limit the spread, but you can help us.
“Hand sanitisers such as alcohol gel do not kill the bug – the simple act of good hand washing with soap and water can make all the difference between our beds being used to care for patients, or lying empty at a time when every bed is precious.”
Norovirus symptoms usually last for 2 to 3 days – but people remain infectious for up to 48-72 hours after symptoms have stopped, so people should not visit hospitals or care facilities, or prepare food for others.
There is no specific treatment for norovirus, but drinking plenty of fluids is advised to avoid dehydration.
Symptoms include:
feeling sick
being sick (vomiting often sudden and projectile)
diarrhoea
You may also have:
a high temperature
a headache
tummy pain
body aches and pains
occasional fever
