29 March 2010
People who do not need to visit the General Hospital are being asked to consider whether their visit is essential this week as part of the measures to control Norovirus which is currently circulating in both Jersey and the UK.
At the moment, 2 wards are affected at the General Hospital (Portelet and Corbiere). Samares ward at Overdale also continues to be closed. To help counteract Norovirus, there is increased emphasis on hygiene and appropriate limitation of movement of staff and patients. Some care homes are also affected. They are taking all due precautions and will restrict visiting as needed.
Speaking about the outbreak, Consultant Microbiologist, Dr Ivan Muscat, said “The overall number of affected patients has not gone up. A number of staff remain affected. We are hopeful that the 2 wards currently closed at the General Hospital will re-open later this week.
“We would stress that the hospital is fully able to take all emergency and urgent admissions, but 4 cases due elective surgery tomorrow (30 March) have been postponed. We're contacting these people directly. All admissions to the Day Surgery Unit are going ahead as normal.
“We wish to assure members of the public that quality of clinical management of the patients in the affected wards and care homes will not be compromised. Members of the public are asked not to visit the hospital or care homes if they have symptoms which include diarrhoea with or without nausea or vomiting, abdominal pain and / or fever. Should you develop these symptoms, you're advised to visit your GP. The situation will be reviewed at least daily by senior hospital managers, public health and community infection control."
People are being urged to wash their hands regularly, using soap and water, to prevent the spread of infection and to clean up any spills immediately using a bleach based disinfectant if appropriate.
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