Bioquell publishes norovirus information tools

Norovirus season is upon us and Bioquell has issued tools to help combat the spread. The two documents are now available to download from the company’s website. The first one is an application sheet which gives useful information as per how to arrest this annual outbreak. The second one is an educational infographic with facts about the virus, its impact and the ways to tackle it.

Norovirus, or the diarrhoea and vomiting (D&V) bug, is a highly contagious winter scourge for which there is no treatment. Most cases recover after a few days but it spreads very easily through contact as it can survive for several days on contaminated surfaces. One gram of faeces from an infected individual contains enough norovirus to infect more than the entire human population.

The virus is known to cost the NHS £100 million per year because of bed blocking, ward closure and staff sickness. As an example, on 24th November 2014, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, had to close a 34-bed ward for a week because of a norovirus outbreak. The virus usually strikes from October to April when temperatures are at the lowest. As the number of cases will rise, it is important to make sure that hospitals are ready to cope with the outbreak and to contain the spread as much as possible.  

Bioquell, as an expert in bio-decontamination and infection control, has published and circulated this material to encourage hygiene, isolation and enhanced disinfection. Bioquell offers isolation and disinfection solutions that help fight against pathogens such as norovirus. Speaking about the Bioquell technology, Ann Kerrane, Matron for Infection Prevention and Control at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, said, “We feel that using Bioquell has helped reduce the spread of norovirus in our hospital over the last two years, and now forms a critical part of our norovirus remediation procedures.”

For more information about norovirus: www.bioquell.com/norovirus