Mussels gift shuts wards in bug outbreak

♦ A hospital has been forced to close wards due to the norovirus outbreak caused by a patient’s visitor bringing in mussels. The shellfish gift has led to 180 people contracting the winter vomiting bug at a hospital in Northumberland.

The outbreak has led hospital bosses to ban visitors from wards. However, over Christmas, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust will partially lift the ruling, introduced after norovirus spread across a number of sites.

Officials have traced its spread to a visitor bringing in mussels for an inpatient at Wansbeck General Hospital in Ashington. Shellfish can harbour the norovirus infection. The trust said it was working hard to allow visitors to see patients over Christmas.