Bury NHS hospital wards closed by virus outbreak

An outbreak of the novovirus bug, which causes diarrhoea and vomiting and is highly contagious, has led to the closure of four hospital wards at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds.

The G3, G4, G5 and G8 wards are to remain closed to new patients for the next 72 hours at least after more than 20 cases of the virus were confirmed.

Visitors with symptoms of the bug, which is also known as the winter vomiting virus, were asked to stay away from the hospital while it attempts to deal with the contagion.

Gwen Nuttal, the hospital's chief operating officer, said: "We are managing the current cases using our stringent infection control policies and our cleaning staff have been working hard to make sure enhanced cleaning takes place on the affected wards."

Visitations on the closed wards are being limited to between the hours of 7pm and 8pm, although it is recommended that children stay away from the wards.

Novovirus is estimated to cause approximately 90 per cent of all non-bacterial outbreaks of gastroenteritis in the world.

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