A prolonged bout of the winter vomiting bug has closed another ward at a Fife hospital, just days after two others were declared open.
Ward six at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy closed to new admissions and transfers on Monday. It follows the closure of wards 43 and 44 in the hospital’s new wing, both of which reopened last week following a deep clean.
Two different strains of norovirus have been doing the rounds at the Victoria since before Christmas.
Dr Gordon Birnie, medical director of NHS Fife’s operational division, said this had made the bug particularly difficult to deal with as the strain did not appear to have cross immunity.
”Patients are getting one strain and then the other,” he said. ”It’s causing particular difficulties and a more prolonged period of norovirus than previously.”
He added: ”There are signs we’re nearing the end of it and with the new wing it should be easier to manage.”
Dr Birnie said the Victoria was one of 10 hospitals across Scotland experiencing norovirus, which causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea and can be serious in elderly or frail people.
In a bid to prevent a further spread of the bug, NHS Fife has urged the public not to visit patients if they are feeling unwell, to keep visits to a reasonable minimum and pay close attention to hand hygiene.
According to leading bacteriologist, Professor Hugh Pennington, norovirus is the most infectious virus there is and a real test of hospital hygiene.
”It’s quite a tough virus and it spreads easily,” he said. ”It has serious consequences for the health service with ward closures and staff and patients infected.
”It’s normally a two-day illness, but for the elderly it can be fairly serious.”
He continued: ”It’s quite a tough bug and gets into pyjamas and nightclothes. Prevention is the only thing we can do because there is no vaccine or antibiotic which work against it.
”We are getting to grips with MRSA and C diff but the problem is we are not getting to grips with norovirus yet.”
Rates of C diff in Fife’s hospitals is currently 25% below the national average and only one case was reported last month.
Dr Birnie hailed the figures a ”stunning turnaround” against a previous position of reporting 120 cases per quarter.
”It’s a significant achievement for staff and reflects careful antibiotic prescribing and good hand hygiene.”