Public appeal as winter vomiting bug hits hospital

A FRESH outbreak of the winter vomiting virus has hit one of the largest hospitals in the north west.

Sligo General Hospital last night appealed to the public to co-operate with visiting arrangements after 12 cases of the bug were diagnosed among patients.

A further undisclosed number of suspected cases are being investigated and laboratory tests are expected within the next 24 hours.

A spokesperson for the North Western Health Board said an infection control plan is being implemented at the hospital and those patients affected have been isolated. Five wards are affected and admissions into, and discharge from, designated ares within those wards have been suspended.

Although public visiting hours continue as normal, the hospital has advised that any member of the public who has had symptoms of vomiting or diarrhoea, or has had those symptoms in the past three days, to refrain from visiting the hospital or attending for appointments.

Elective surgery has been postponed today and control measures have been put in place. “The situation is being reviewed on a daily basis and patients affected are being informed directly,” said the spokesperson.

Figures from the National Disease Surveillance Centre (NDSC) indicate there were more than 1,000 cases of illness associated with outbreaks of the virus last year. Almost all outbreaks occurred in hospitals, residential care institutions and nursing homes and resulted in elective surgery being cancelled in several instances.

The illness is caused by a virus called Norwalk-Like Virus (NLV) also known as Small Rounded Structured Virus (SRSV). It usually starts with the sudden onset of severe and dramatic vomiting. Some people also develop diarrhoea and symptoms usually last between 24 and 36 hours.

Last December, the NDSC published national guidelines on the management of outbreaks of the disease.

Dr Paul McKeown, a specialist in public health medicine with the NDSC, said there has been an upsurge of activity of this virus in Europe and North America since 2002.

In 2002, Ireland had 148 outbreaks caused, or suspected as being caused by norovirus, which produced about 7,500 cases of illness. This compares with 63 outbreaks and just over 1,000 cases in 2003.