Two Shrewsbury hospital wards closed following cases of norovirus
Two wards at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital have been closed after a number of cases of diarrhoea and vomiting.
The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital has closed two wards after a number of cases of diarrhoea and vomiting.
Wards 24 and 28 at RSH have been fully closed after five cases of norovirus were confirmed.
Sara Biffen, Deputy Chief Operating Officer at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) which runs RSH and the Princess Royal in Telford, said:
“Unfortunately, due to the number of symptomatic patients, it has been necessary for us to close two wards to new admissions.
Dr Patricia O'Neill, Consultant Microbiologist and Director for Infection Prevention and Control at SaTH, added: "Please do not visit hospitals or care homes if you, or the people you live with, have had diarrhoea, vomiting or flu-like symptoms in the last 48 hours.
"If you are unsure whether to visit, please feel free to contact the ward you intend to visit before you come into hospital."
“We are taking all the actions we can to prevent any further spread, but we would also ask people visiting our hospitals to help us by only attending if it is absolutely necessary and if you are coming to our hospitals, by washing your hands regularly.”
Winter vomiting bug
Norovirus, also called the "winter vomiting bug", is a stomach bug that causes vomiting and diarrhoea. It can be very unpleasant but usually goes away in about two days.
Dr Patricia O'Neill, Consultant Microbiologist and Director for Infection Prevention and Control at SaTH, added: "Please do not visit hospitals or care homes if you, or the people you live with, have had diarrhoea, vomiting or flu-like symptoms in the last 48 hours.
"If you are unsure whether to visit, please feel free to contact the ward you intend to visit before you come into hospital."
