Raigmore hospital ward closed after outbreak of sickness bug
A surgical ward at Inverness' Raigmore Hospital has been closed to new admissions because of an outbreak of the norovirus.
Visitors are being asked not to attend ward 3C while staff in the hospital deal with several cases of diarrhoea and vomiting.
Nairn Town and County was closed yesterday to new admissions and remains so after five patients were affected.
Four of them are still experiencing symptoms.
Ward 3C at Raigmore was closed this morning and currently has two patients affected, both still experiencing symptoms.
A number of staff at both hospitals are also affected and they are recovering at home.
Initial testing done on Ward 3C at Raigmore Hospital has indicated that the symptoms are caused by norovirus.
Test results are still awaiting for Nairn.
NHS Highland said the virus, which causes diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, spreads in the air where someone has had diarrhoea or vomited and is extremely difficult to contain.
Dr Adam Brown, Consultant Microbiologist for NHS Highland, said: “We know that norovirus is out there in the community and it is likely it has been brought into our hospitals.
“As well as restricting visiting to the affected wards we are also asking people not to come to the hospitals to visit if they have had any vomiting or diarrhoea within the previous 48 hours.
"By doing this we will be able to limit the spread as much as possible.
“Hospital staff will, of course, be very happy to talk to visitors on the phone so they can get updates on how their relatives are.”
There is no specific treatment for a norovirus infection and it is not usually necessary to visit a doctor.
Top Stories
-
Cromdale businessman fondled 17 year old girl’s breasts and then forcefully kissed her mother
-
Aviemore children ‘so impressive’ in walking the walk for world’s clean water
-
WATCH: Boxing champion Tyson Fury spotted strolling barechested and in kilt along Grantown’s High Street
-
‘She makes a friend of everybody’ - The Highland walking group that is making a real difference for visually impaired people
The best course of action is to stay at home, take paracetamol to relieve symptoms of any fever and to drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration.
People should also adhere to strict hand washing techniques to reduce the spread of the virus.
