Norovirus

Dear Visitor...

Please help us protect our patients and staff from infection by not visiting this hospital if you have suffered from vomiting and/or diarrhoea. Please stay away until you have been completely free of symptoms for 48 hours.

WHY?

Vomiting and diarrhoea are the main symptoms of Norovirus. Norovirus is not a hospital infection (it is generally caught and spread in the community). It is, however, highly infectious and spreads easily among people.

If it is brought into the hospital it can easily spread to vulnerable hospital patients and also to staff.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF NOROVIRUS?

Symptoms usually start with the sudden onset of severe vomiting. Other symptoms include diarrhoea and stomach cramps.

The symptoms usually last for 24-48 hours, but most people feel ‘washed out’ for a few days after symptoms have settled. People remain highly infectious for at least 48 hours after symptoms stop.

HOW CAN YOU CATCH NOROVIRUS?

Norovirus can spread very easily from one person to another and only a very small amount of the virus is needed to cause infection. It may be caught by:

Being exposed to the virus in the vomit or diarrhoeaof an infected person e.g. when cleaning up
Not washing hands after using the toilet
Touching surfaces (such as toilet seats, bed rails, furniture) that have the virus on them
By breathing in the virus that remains in the air for some time after projectile vomiting

HOW CAN YOU PROTECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS?

It is impossible to completely prevent Norovirus infection in hospital. Instead, we concentrate on reducing the risk of it spreading and ask visitors to:

Wash your hands with soap and water before and after your visit. Please continue to use alcohol hand gel as well as this helps prevent other infections
Wash your hands before handling food and after visiting the toilet