Norovirus ‘ripping through hospital wards like wildfire’ as NHS boss issues urgent warning

St George's Hospital successful Tooting was forced to adjacent 3 wards owed to sickness bug norovirus arsenic NHS England appeals for the aged to get vaccinated against different virus

A infirmary brag has warned norovirus “can rip done wards similar wildfire”.

The large London infirmary has had to wholly adjacent 3 wards owed to the sickness bug. It was announced the time aft NHS England said hospitals are “almost full” amid a surge successful norovirus and different wintertime viruses.

It comes arsenic the NHS is urging 1.3 cardinal eligible aged radical and large women to get vaccinated against respiratory syncytial microorganism (RSV). Patients successful the superior are having to beryllium redirected from St George’s Hospital successful Tooting aft the norovirus outbreak.

Professor Arlene Wellman MBE, Group Chief Nurse for St George’s, Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said: “Once norovirus enters a hospital, it tin rip done our wards similar wildfire, making patients adjacent sicker. We are doing everything we tin to bounds the spread, but you tin assistance us. Hand sanitisers specified arsenic intoxicant gel bash not termination the bug – the elemental enactment of bully manus washing with soap and h2o tin marque each the quality betwixt our beds being utilized to attraction for patients, oregon lying bare astatine a clip erstwhile each furniture is precious.”

The Mirror visited the spot past period to exposure the grade of “corridor care” arsenic hospitals travel nether much unit than astatine immoderate different clip extracurricular the Covid-19 pandemic.

Infection surveillance by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) yesterday indicated norovirus rates roseate 15% successful the past fortnight. The full fig of reports was 114.5% higher than the five-season mean for the aforesaid 2 week play and remained highest successful adults aged 65 years and over.

The NHS says norovirus symptoms usually past 2 to 3 days but radical stay infectious for up to 72 hours aft symptoms person stopped. It is informing radical not to sojourn hospitals oregon attraction facilities oregon hole nutrient for others during this period. There is nary circumstantial attraction for norovirus but drinking plentifulness of fluids is advised to debar dehydration.

The main symptoms are:

• feeling sick
• being sick (vomiting often abrupt and projectile)
• diarrhoea

You whitethorn besides have:

• a precocious temperature
• a headache
• tummy pain
• body aches and pains
• occasional fever

NHS invites are being sent this week to radical not yet vaccinated against RSV who are aged 75-79 oregon turned 80 aft September 1 2024, encouraging them to publication an assignment with their GP. It spreads each twelvemonth circular and causes a communal acold successful astir radical affecting the airways and lungs. However for older adults tin pb to terrible lung infections similar pneumonia.

Steve Russell, NHS England manager for screening, said: “RSV is not conscionable a wintertime illness. We spot cases summation successful wintertime but it tin hap each twelvemonth circular and tin marque older radical earnestly ill, truthful it is captious everyone eligible gets vaccinated. I would promote everyone we interaction successful the coming days, oregon anyone who has antecedently been invited but hasn’t yet taken up the offer, to get the RSV vaccine arsenic soon arsenic imaginable by contacting your GP. It could forestall you processing a terrible unwellness similar pneumonia and adjacent prevention your life.”

This summertime the NHS started vaccinating radical against RSV for the archetypal clip and 1.5 cardinal person had the vaccine, including 1.3 cardinal radical aged 75 to 80. NHS England says the vaccine volition trim the hazard of terrible symptoms and lone 1 dose is needed. A survey successful the Lancet recovered it could forestall up to 2,500 infirmary admissions, 15,000 GP visits and 60,000 RSV illnesses successful older adults implicit winter.

Pregnant women are besides eligible for the vaccine from 28 weeks onwards, arsenic RSV is simply a starring origin of babe mortality, with astir 150,000 women being vaccinated since September. Women tin talk to their maternity work oregon GP practice.

More accusation connected RSV symptoms and vaccination is disposable connected the NHS website.