Sudden hospital ward closure - warning to Isle people

A ward has been closed at Scunthorpe General Hospital due to an outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting.
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This effectively means that Ward 17 is closed to admissions at present and patients will not be discharged.

Dr Peter Cowling, Trust consultant microbiologist, said: “Ward 17 is currently closed to admissions due to an outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting.

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Patients from the ward will not be discharged to nursing or residential homes while they remain an infection risk and we have closed the ward to new admissions.

“The infection prevention and control team is reviewing the situation daily and regular and frequent disinfection is being carried out on the ward to contain the outbreak.”

He continued: “This type of illness does come in to the hospital from time to time, as in other hospitals across the country, and that is why we have a robust infection control policy in place to deal with such eventualities.

“This illness lasts about 24 hours and, although unpleasant, very rarely causes serious medical problems.”

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Tests are being carried out to establish if the outbreak is due to norovirus, the winter vomiting bug.

Staff are being advised not to come to work if they have symptoms and to stay off for 48 hours after the symptoms have stopped, as they will be infectious to others during this period.

Visitors who have been suffering from diarrhoea or vomiting are urged not to come to the hospital until they have been symptom-free for 48 hours.

The ward will remain closed to admissions until the infection prevention and control team decide no further cases are likely.

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