IF YOU'RE feeling at all unwell yourself this winter, please DON'T visit sick friends or relatives in hospital.

That's the message from York Hospital bosses who are desperate to avoid another outbreak of norovirus, the winter vomiting bug, that saw five wards closed last winter.

Norovirus is one of the most infectious of all viruses - and can spread easily and quickly through person to person contact, contaminated food or drink, or through touching contaminated surfaces like door handles.

At this time of year, it is very common and can be picked up almost anywhere, says York Hospital's medical director and head of infection control, Dr Alastair Turnbull.

Once in a hospital or other institution like a care home, it can spread very quickly amongst patients who are already ill.

"So in order for us to protect vulnerable patients it is essential that, if someone develops symptoms of norovirus, they avoid visiting friends or relatives in hospital or care homes," Dr Turnbull said.

“It is usually through this route that the infection is spread and once it is in a hospital it means bays have to be closed reducing the number of beds available to other sick patients.

"So if you've got vomiting or diarrhoea, please don't come!"

Norovirus develops very quickly, so that you feel ill in a short space of time. Typical symptoms include nausea, vomiting, watery diarrhoea and stomach cramps.

If you do become ill, you need rest and plenty of fluid, Dr Turnbull said. The illness usually last for between two and three days, after which healthy people will be able to shrug it off.

You can remain infectious for another 48 hours, however - so you shouldn't go to work or visit a hospital or care home in that time.

While the virus is 'extremely unpleasant', most people recover reasonably quickly, Dr Turnbull said.

But it can be very serious if it infects people who are already vulnerable or ill, and whose immunity may be reduced.

In some cases, it may be a contributory factor in a patient's death.

Last winter, five wards were closed at York Hospital, and other wards and bays were closed at community hospitals and in Scarborough, leading to some elective (non-urgent) operations having to be postponed.

Because the virus spreads so easily, once it appears in a ward or bay, hospital staff have no option but to isolate it and close it to new admissions, for fear of more patients becoming infected, Dr Turnbull said. "The last thing we want is to pass it on to someone who is already sick."

Staff who become infected also have to be sent home, and cannot return to work for 48 hours after they recover.

 

Good hygiene is key to stop spread of norovirus

Good hygiene is the key to preventing the spread of norovirus at this time of year.

The virus can be spread in four ways, through:

• direct person-to-person contact

• contaminated food

• contaminated drink

• by touching contaminated surfaces

Washing the hands regularly is one key way to prevent the disease spreading, York Hospital medical director Dr Alastair Turnbull said. Ordinary soap and water is perfectly good. It is especially important to wash your hands regularly if you are handling food.

Surfaces can be washed down regularly with a solution of domestic bleach. And putting clothes through the washing machine will kill any norovirus.

Putting the toilet lid down before flushing can also help prevent the spread of norovirus. If you flush without putting the lid down you get a ‘vapour mist’ which can easily spread germs.

If you do come down with the virus and don’t want to spread it to other members of the family, hygiene precautions are particularly important. No-one with norovirus should prepare or handle food, Dr Turnbull said.

If you do have norovirus, rest and plenty of fluids to re-hydrate yourself are important.

Most people recover within one or two days.If your symptoms persist, or if you are worried, the advice is not to come to A&E but to phone your GP or NHS 111.

 

Doctor struck down with virus

York Hospital’s medical director Dr Alastair Turnbull was himself struck down with norovirus two years ago.

He’d been mildly unwell one day - then woke up in the middle of the night with stomach pains and severe nausea.

“I had this sudden attack of vomiting, fever and nausea,” he said. “I was vomiting in a way I had never experienced before. It really was very unpleasant. I felt absolutely miserable.”

For 36 hours, all he wanted to do was curl up in bed, Dr Turnbull said.

He has been a consultant specialising in gastroenterology for 20 years. “But I felt much more miserable than I expected!”