Winter vomiting bug hits East Lancashire's hospitals (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Winter vomiting bug hits East Lancashire's hospitals

4:51pm Monday 21st December 2009

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MORE wards at East Lancashire’s hospitals have been hit by the winter vomiting virus.

Ward 12 at Burnley General Hospital was closed to new admissions earlier this month after six patients caught the norovirus.

It reopened on Friday, after patients recovered from cases of sickness or diarrhoea, and Ward B4 at the Royal Blackburn Hospital was also set to reopen yesterday, after patients who suffered mild symptoms recovered.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust's infection prevention and control team was also hoping to reopen Ward B8 at the Blackburn today, where some patients, who were not confirmed to have the virus but had symptoms, were recovering well.

But Ward C6 at Blackburn remained closed, with patients in two bays of the ward suffering mild symptoms.

Beverley Aspin, lead infection prevention and control matron, said the policy was to err on the side of caution by isolating patients and closing wards to new admissions.

“We have closed wards to new admissions at early signs of sickness or diarrhoea, so that any possible infection can be contained, whether or not it is later confirmed to be norovirus.”

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