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Six wards have been closed at a hospital in Bath, UK, after an outbreak of the norovirus – the third such incidence in three months.
Staff at the Royal United Hospital (RUH) confirmed the latest problem after the winter vomiting bug forced two wards to close last November, and a second outbreak last month shut nine wards.
It is the latest incident to affect the site, after Conservative peer Lord Mancroft criticised nurses as being “grubby”, and “drunken and promiscuous”, following a recent stay.
But he was strongly rebuked by his party, and a hospital spokesman said: “We still have no factual basis for Lord Mancroft’s evidence whatsoever. We have asked him for a meeting which he has agreed to, but we are still awaiting a date from him.”
The RUH has confirmed that both staff and patients have been affected by the latest virus outbreak.
Tracey Halladay, senior infection control nurse, said: “To try and keep this outbreak to a minimum and to try and prevent further ward closures, the hospital is restricting access to all visitors unless the visit is absolutely essential.
“Strongly worded signs have been erected around the site, asking people to stay away, particularly those who have experienced symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting in the past three days.
“This pattern of peaks and troughs in outbreaks of the virus is common in the winter months and infection control measures remain in place with staff being extremely vigilant.”
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