A medical ward at the Highland’s largest hospital has been closed because of the winter vomiting bug – just days after it was given the all clear.
Four patients in ward 7C at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, are affected with symptoms of norovirus.
No new admissions will be made to the ward and visitors are being asked to stay away while staff deal with the new outbreak.
The virus is highly infectious and spreads in the air where someone has had diarrhoea or vomited.
Ward 7C was one of the four which were closed last week during a serious outbreak.
NHS Highland announced earlier this week that all wards had reopened following deep cleaning.
Dr Emma Watson, consultant microbiologist for NHS Highland, said: “It is disappointing that we have had to close the ward so soon after it was reopened but we know there is significant norovirus in the community and we do believe that this is an infection that has been brought into the ward and has affected new patients.”
Dr Watson said that this strain of norovirus seems to have a long incubation period so have extended the period of clearance required from 48hours to 72hours.
She said: “Again we would stress that people do not come to the hospital’s to visit if they have, or live with someone who has, had any vomiting or diarrhoea.
“As this strain seems to have a longer incubation period we would ask that anyone coming into the hospital needs to be clear for at least 72hours. By doing this we will be able to limit the spread as much as possible.
“By restricting visiting to the affected area it helps hospital staff protect the health, privacy and dignity of our patients. Hospital staff will of course be very happy to talk to visitors on the phone so they can get updates on how their relatives are.”
Anyone who believes that visiting is essential should contact the ward first by phone.