07 April 2010
Both wards in the General Hospital which were closed as a result of Norovirus activity have now re-opened following the interventions put in place.
Corbiere ward re-opened last week, and Portelet Ward re-opened yesterday (Tuesday 6 April). Samares Ward at Overdale will re-open today (Wednesday 7 April).
There have been no further wards closed, no new Norovirus cases have been detected, and all care homes are now open as normal.
Commenting on the situation, consultant microbiologist, Dr Ivan Muscat, said "The additional cleaning measures we have had in place, coupled with good hygiene practices and limitation of movement in the hospital and Overdale has helped greatly in getting these wards re-opened. We would carry on urging people to practice good hygiene, in particular handwashing with soap and water.
"Despite the apparent slow-down in the number of cases, people who do not need to visit the General Hospital continue to be asked to consider whether their visit is essential over the forthcoming week as part of the measures to consolidate control of Norovirus spread. This is in keeping with our increased emphasis on hygiene. The hospital is now fully able to not only take all emergency and urgent admissions, but also all elective cases."
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 are advised to visit your GP.
“The situation will be reviewed at least daily by senior hospital managers and infection control," added Dr Muscat. “We stress that the most single effective way to prevent spread is with hand washing, using soap and water, and to clean up any spills immediately using bleach based disinfectant if appropriate.”
gov.je