A number of patients in Tralee General Hospital, the Southern Health Board's second largest acute hospital, have been affected by the so-called winter vomiting bug, it has been confirmed. Anne Lucey reports.
The bug is highly infectious and can be debilitating in the elderly , the sick and the very young.
Tralee General is the only hospital in the Southern Health board area to be affected, a spokeswoman for the board confirmed.
The outbreak is in the long stay unit in Tralee General Hospital and visitor restrictions were put in place during the weekend. Five elderly patients initially were affected. However, the numbers yesterday had risen to 14, and a small number of staff were also affected. All the outbreaks were in the long stay unit.
Visitors to the unit are now restricted to two next of kin only but the hospital has appealed to all who had diarrhoea or vomiting to stay away for 72 hours before visiting the hospital.
"Winter vomiting disease is highly infectious," said Dr Bartley Cryan, Southern Health Board consultant medical microbiologist.
"We are appealing to people to stay away from the Long Stay Unit of the hospital if at all possible."
The winter vomiting bug known as Small Rounded Structured Viruses (SRSV) usually causes short-lasting outbreaks of abdominal pain and nausea followed by diarrhoea and/or vomiting. It is usually quite mild and rarely causes severe problems.
"It may be quite unpleasant and debilitating in small children or older people who are already sick," he said.
People affected by the virus should drink plenty of fluids; maintain strict hygiene and because of the highly contagious nature of the virus, avoid visiting hospitals or nursing homes," Dr Cryan said.