The Norovirus also known as ‘the winter vomiting bug’ which is a viral stomach bug that causes Vomiting and Diarrhoea which lasts a couple of days and it’s quite easy to transmit between patients due to the close contact patients are with each other, touching surfaces or objects that have the virus on them and eating food that’s been prepared or handled by someone with the virus.
It’s surprising to find out that these infections are happening in Huddersfield Infirmary when they should be following the NHS cleanliness guidelines put in place to prevent such outbreaks taking place where all equipment and surfaces are cleaned with antibacterial sprays and also warm water which would completely eradicate any bugs that may linger on such surfaces.
The UK Health Security Agency released official statistics from the National Norovirus and Rotavirus Report, Week 19 Report: data to week 17 (28 April 2024) shows that 11% of Norovirus outbreaks take place in Hospital settings which means that it’s more likely for these outbreaks to occur in Hospitals due to Patients being in close proximity to each other and also any catering staff who may have been ill with the virus which may have infected food which was served to patients but we have no indication on how this outbreak may have occurred.
We had a Visitor who was visiting a elderly relative who told us that “I was told by staff that there was a Norovirus outbreak and there was no visiting.” But she had travelled twenty minutes from home to be able to see this relative and had not been contacted before she left to warn her about this outbreak until she had arrived at the hospital and the nurses turned her away.
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust have confirmed that these reports of a potential outbreak of Norovirus have been identified in Ward 5 which is the Geriatric Ward which suggests these patients are much more susceptible to getting Norovirus as their immune systems are already compromised due to them already fighting against other illnesses which shows that this is taking unnecessary risks for these Patients who are being to subjected to more illnesses.
It has been suggested it may have been due to Visitors who may have stomach bugs but are still visiting patients.This information should be put out to the public as Novovirus can spread rapidly from person to person so people have to know when these outbreaks happen so they know when to avoid these wards so it doesn’t spread the virus outside of the hospital which spread it to much more people than you think.