FENLAND: Hospital closed to visitors following outbreak of the winter vomiting disease

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital has closed its doors to visitors y as a major outbreak of the winter vomiting disease was declared.The hospital in King s Lynn which is the worst-hit has Worst-hit was placed on black alert and closed for all non-emergency ad

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital has closed its doors to visitors y as a major outbreak of the winter vomiting disease was declared.

The hospital in King's Lynn which is the worst-hit has Worst-hit was placed on black alert and closed for all non-emergency admissions as health chiefs battled to contain the spread of the contagious sickness and diarrhoea bug, norovirus.

Hospital bosses said outpatient clinics and the Accident and Emergency department would continue to function as normal, but all non-urgent operations were cancelled for the rest of this week.

The bug had spread to five wards in Lynn, affecting 44 staff and 23 patients.

A QEH spokesman said anyone turning up hoping to visit sick relatives or friends after 3pm yesterday would be "politely turned away".

"We appreciate this action may seem drastic but our intention is to stop this particularly nasty bug from spreading," he said.

"We are certain that the general public will appreciate this is being done with the welfare of their loved ones in mind.

"To avoid overloading the hospital switchboard, relatives wishing to make a condition check on patients are asked, where possible, to call them direct on their individual Patientline number if they are well enough to receive a call."

Norovirus - also known as gastroenteritis - is the most common cause of sickness and diarrhoea in England.

There is no treatment and most sufferers recover after one or two days - but people may still carry the virus and infect others up to three days after their own symptoms have stopped.