Royal Hospital ward reopens
THREE WARDS STILL CLOSED DUE TO NOROVIRUS
Sunderland Royal Hospital has reopened a ward after an outbreak of Norovirus.
Four wards were closed last week after an outbreak of the bug, which causes diarrhoea and vomiting.
One has now been reopened but hospital chiefs are still urging anyone who has the virus to wait until they have been symptom-free for 48 hours before visiting relatives and friends at the hospital.
A City Hospitals Trust spokeswoman confirmed one ward had been reopened but three remained closed.
She said: “We are reviewing the situation daily. We are still appealing for members of the public to stay away if they are unwell and restrictions remain in place .”
Visiting is currently restricted to two visitors per patient and no children under the age of 12 are being allowed onto wards.
The most common stomach bug in the UK , Norovirus is highly contagious.
It is generally mild and most people make a full recovery within a day or two without treatment.
Trust deputy medical director Paul McAndrew said: “Our first priority must be to protect vulnerable patients and, consequently, we are asking people to respect our current visiting guidance.
“Our infection prevention and control team are working extremely hard to prevent transmission of the illness, including constantly monitoring all ward areas to ensure that appropriate measures are in place so that affected areas can be re-opened as quickly as possible.”
“We are reviewing the situation daily” SPOKESWOMAN