Medical chief hails fall in fatal norovirus figures

Outbreaks of the potentially fatal norovirus have fallen in recent years, Scotland’s top doctor has revealed.

Chief Medical Officer Sir Harry Burns said there had been a 16 per cent reduction in the last three years.

His comments come a day after eight wards at Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley were shut because of an increase in people showing symptoms of the bug. Last week two people suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting died in the hospital - infection control measures are in place.

NHS Highland also reported an increase in the number of cases of diarrhoea and vomiting, with some cases identified as being the norovirus.

Raigmore Hospital in Inverness has two wards closed to new admissions and a ward at Caithness General is also shut, with visitors asked not to come.

Dr Burns said: “Where people are ill due to other reasons, then the stress of having this virus can be the final straw and, regrettably, that’s what we’ve seen with one or two cases.

“Elderly patients who have complex medical problems: this adds to the complexity and regrettably can cause death.”

He highlighted the importance of hygiene in tackling the virus, especially hand washing.

Professor Hugh Pennington, an expert in bacteriology, said: “”I think there has been a realisation in the last few years that this virus is not just winter vomiting where you are ill for a couple of days and you get better and that’s the end of it, even if the illness itself is very unpleasant while you have it.

”It’s quite right that the health service takes it so seriously in terms of stopping it in its tracks. And the only thing they can really do is close a ward and have a deep clean there.”