Public asked for support in containing winter vomiting

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) North West is asking members of the public to play a part in limiting the spread of winter vomiting sickness.

Most winter vomiting is caused by norovirus,, a germ that causes infection in up to one million people in this country every year. The symptoms are severe vomiting and or diarrhea. It is generally an unpleasant but short-lived illness that most people recover from in 12 to 60 hours without any specific treatment.

The illness is highly infectious and great care needs to be taken to prevent its spread.

Professor Qutub Syed, Director, HPA North West, said: “It isn’t easy to prevent norovirus infection spreading when it gets into hospitals, residential care homes and schools. All too often it leads to the closure of hospital wards to new admissions, NHS staff going off work sick and patient appointments being postponed.

“These are serious consequences and the public can help us avoid them by not attending A and E departments or GP surgeries when they have symptoms and by not visiting friends or relatives in hospitals or residential care homes.

“People with the infection should stay at home, ensure that their personal hygiene is good, particularly hand-washing, and avoid contact with others where possible.

“However, the elderly and very young can sometimes get more severe infection or become dehydrated. If that should be the case, they or their family, friends or the people who care for them should telephone their GP service or NHS Direct for advice.”

The HPA North West advice for people with symptoms is: 

• Stay away from work, school or college and do not attend social gatherings until you have recovered and been free of symptoms for at least 48 hours.
• Do not handle or prepare food for other people until you have been symptom-free for a minimum period of 48 hours.
• Do not visit friends or relatives in hospitals or residential care homes to avoid introducing the infection to environments where it could spread easily and put vulnerable people at risk.
• Do not visit your GP surgery or local A&E Unit. You will recover without treatment, but it is important to rest and take plenty of drinks to replace lost fluids.
  Wash your hands thoroughly and regularly, particularly after toilet visits and before eating.
• Do not share towels with others. If possible, use paper towels after hand-washing and dispose of them immediately.
• Make sure that any surface that is contaminated by vomit or faeces is promptly and thoroughly disinfected.
• If symptoms persist or seem to be worsening, phone your family doctor or NHS Direct for advice. This is particularly important if you have bloody diarrhoea (blood in your stools).