Norovirus outbreak shuts hospital ward

Gastroenteritis at Whangarei Hospital has led to 11 patients being isolated and Ward 16 closed to new patients.

Twelve patients were initially suspected as having the illness.

Visitors are being restricted to two per patient and must wear protective clothing. People are also being asked to stay away if they have been feeling unwell in the previous 48 hours.

Yesterday the Northland District Health Board described the outbreak of the stomach upset that first became evident on Tuesday as small, no new cases having been reported in the previous 24 hours.

Chief medical adviser Mike Roberts said staff were assuming the illness was the virulent norovirus, but that had yet to be confirmed by laboratory tests.

An incident contingency management team is on alert and strict infection control measures are in place to reduce the risk for other patients within the hospital.

"We have closed Ward 16 to new admissions and visitors to this ward will be restricted to two adult visitors per patient each visit. Children should not visit and visitors are required to wear protective clothing and engage in hand hygiene precautions," Dr Roberts said. "Visitors displaying gastroenteritis-like symptoms won't be permitted access to the ward unless there are exceptional circumstances and the visit has been cleared with the ward charge nurse or hospital duty manager."

Outbreaks of the highly infectious sickness plagued Northland hospitals and resthomes last year. The illness had been implicated in the deaths of two elderly patients and, during what was the worst-ever recorded outbreak, over April and May there were a suspected 300-plus cases in Northland resthomes. Small outbreaks were also experienced later in the year at Whangarei Hospital.