INFECTION control teams in Nevill Hall Hospital visited wards last week to warn about the dangers of visiting hospitals immediately following a bout of diarrhoea and vomiting.

Every year, many wards across the Aneurin Bevan Health Board are forced to close in order to minimise the spread of infections such as Norovirus.

The campaign has been launched to coincide with Infection Control Awareness Week. The team visited all hospital wards and had great support from members of the Patients' Panel who helped them get the message out to visitors in the public areas of the hospital.

Lead Nurse for Infection Control, Liz Waters explained, "We are urging people to think about whether they really need to visit patients in hospital after any period of sickness, diarrhoea or vomiting.

"This needs to be considered all year around but is especially important during the winter months. Just one single person bringing a bug into the hospital can have a devastating effect on wards where very sick patients are being nursed."

Hospitals are much busier during the winter months and having to close wards because of infections adds more pressure to hospitals.

"Every year we have to close wards to limit the spread of diarrhoea and vomiting. This has a knock on effect of patients having to stay in hospital for a much longer time and can even cause operations to be cancelled, our message to the public is, if you've had a bout of sickness you can really help us by thinking twice." Liz added.

If in any doubt, do not visit patients, unless urgent, until the symptoms have gone for 48 hours or longer.