Personal Injury Law

UK Norovirus Outbreak Making 100,000 A Week Sick

By Marler Clark LLP

You may have heard there is an outbreak of Norovirus across the pond in the United Kingdom.  How bad is it?  Pretty awful, according to this report from OnMedica News:

Current figures suggest that some 100,000 people a week in the UK are contracting norovirus, commonly known as winter vomiting disease, and the number of cases is likely to continue to rise in the early weeks of the new year.

"The Royal College of GPs has emphasized that patients contracting the virus, which causes abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, should stay at home for two days after the symptoms have gone away.

"Steve Field, chairman of the RCGP, said: “GPs are seeing a huge number of cases of patients with the norovirus. Our advice for those affected is to stay at home, take paracetamol and drink plenty of fluids.

“You should also wash your hands regularly so as not to infect anyone else and, if possible, stay at home two days after the symptoms have gone.”

The number of cases this winter is the highest since 2002 and the surge of infections is predicted to continue through much of January"

Many hospitals in the UK have been forced to close wards or whole facilities due to the Noro outbreak and they generally urge people with the disease to stay away.

Full post as published by Norovirus Blog on January 04, 2008 (boomark / email).