Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Norovirus returns to Raigmore as bosses close ward

Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.

The dreaded norovirus bug has returned yet again to the Highlands’ main hospital.

Ward 6C at Raigmore closed to new admissions yesterday (WED) and the public was urged to keep visiting “to an absolute minimum” as staff dealt with several cases of diarrhoea and vomiting.

The ward, which was closed to new admissions, had two affected patients as of last night.

The overnight closure was precautionary and the situation is being reviewed on an ongoing basis by an infection prevention team.

The virus spreads in the air where someone has had diarrhoea or vomited and is extremely infectious.

Doctors say it is vital that everyone plays their part in reducing outbreak risks.

Dr Jonty Mills, consultant microbiologist for NHS Highland, said: “We would request that visitors help us at this time by not visiting the ward unless absolutely necessary and having first arranged to do so by phoning the ward charge nurse.

“By restricting visiting to the affected area it helps hospital staff protect the health, privacy and dignity of our patients.

“We would also ask that people do not come to the hospital to visit if they have or live with someone who has had any vomiting or diarrhoea in the previous 48 hours. By doing this we will be able to limit the spread as much as possible.”

He added: “Hospital staff will, of course, be happy to talk to visitors on the phone so they can get updates on how their relatives are.”

There is no specific treatment for a norovirus infection and it is not usually necessary to visit a doctor.

The best course of action is to stay at home, take paracetamol to relieve symptoms of any fever and to drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration.

People should also adhere to strict hand washing techniques to reduce the spread of the virus.

Put simply, do not visit a hospital if you or someone you live with has symptoms. If you have a hospital appointment get in touch and, where appropriate, your appointment can be rescheduled.

Wait until you have been clear of symptoms for 48 hours, as you may still be contagious, even if you feel well.

Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, especially after using the toilet and before eating.

If you visit someone in hospital, do not sit on their bed and keep the number of visitors to a minimum at any one time.

There is more information at the Scottish National Hand Hygiene Campaign website at www.washyourhandsofthem.com