Cairn Care Release Care Home Factsheet on Norovirus

Infection control specialist, Cairn Care, has launched a factsheet on Norovirus to help care homes prepare effectively for the threat of this seasonal bug.

Often called the ‘winter vomiting bug’ because it typically occurs over winter, Norovirus is the most common cause of infectious gastroenteritis in England and Wales, affecting hundreds of thousands of people every year.

What’s more, it appears to be a growing problem. By the start of December last year, Public Health England reported 1,704 confirmed cases of Norovirus in England, which was 9% higher than the average for the same period over the previous five years.

Unfortunately, Norovirus can easily be transmitted in care homes, whether from person-to-person via airborne particles, the faecal-oral route or through contaminated surfaces and ‘touch points’.

Dr. Peter Binns, Managing Director of Cairn Care says: “Tackling Norovirus effectively is essential as the bug not only causes sickness and diarrhoea but in extreme cases can also lead to death, particularly with residents aged 85 or over.

“In a small survey that we carried out recently, 29% of the care homes that responded said they had experienced an outbreak of Norovirus in the last three years, so we’ve responded by producing this free factsheet to help care homes prevent and contain a Norovirus outbreak in the future.”

To request your free factsheet, complete with outbreak action plan and visual handwashing guide, email info@cairncare.co.uk