10:50am Monday 15th March 2010
By James Connell
A WINTER vomiting bug has nothing to do with how clean our hospitals are say health chiefs.
Coun June Griffiths, vice-chairman of a Worcestershire health watchdog, asked if Norovirus could be linked to the cleanliness and sterility of hospitals at a health overview and scrutiny committee meeting.
All three of Worcestershire’s main hospitals – Worcestershire Royal in Worcester, the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch and Kidderminster Hospital – were closed to visitors in January. The Alexandra Hospital was reopened but was closed to visitors again last week because of the virus.
Sandra Rote, director of clinical development and lead executive nurse, said: “Norovirus is not a hospital or healthcare-acquired infection. It’s a virus that is circulating in the community. You will be aware when friends and colleagues have bugs during the winter. Generally that’s Norovirus. It is always around, every winter in the community.
“A lot of the time what happens is that people go into hospital with it as opposed to acquiring it within the hospital. People become ill with symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting. They go into hospital to get treated and then it spreads. It is a particularly virulent virus. It’s not about cleanliness or hygiene in the hospital. Even in your own home it’s difficult to contain. It’s spread by spores.”
She was backed by Phil Milligan, chief operating officer at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Worcestershire Royal Hospital. He said: “Norovirus is virulent. It’s the bug that’s often associated with cruise ships and areas where there are a lot of people gathering. We have seen fewer cases this year than last. We had a very significant issue in autumn and winter of last year. We have lost capacity because of it.”
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