Parents are being told to look out for signs of norovirus in their children as cases of the winter vomiting bug soar in schools and nurseries. Public Health Wales said the virus is extremely infectious and cases have been rising.
Norovirus, known as the winter vomiting bug has seen lots of children and staff off school as cases rise. Parents are being told not to send children back in until they are fully better.
Dr Christopher Williams, Consultant Epidemiologist for Public Health Wales, said: “Incidents involving diarrhoea and vomiting have increased in recent weeks in Wales, particularly in schools and nurseries. These are often caused by norovirus, a self-limiting but unpleasant infection. Laboratory reports are also at seasonally high levels."
Dr Williams added: “Norovirus infections are usually common at this time of year can spread easily, especially in settings such as schools, nurseries, care homes and healthcare facilities.
“Anyone with symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting should stay at home and not attend work, school or nursery settings until 48 hours after symptoms have resolved.
“It is important to avoid spreading infection to other people at home, and people who are unwell should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and warm water after using the toilet and before preparing food, and should not share towels with other people.”
Schools in Cardiff are among those affected. A Cardiff Council spokesperson said: “We are currently seeing a significant number of sickness and diarrhoea cases in the community, including Norovirus, a common stomach bug that usually goes away after around two days.
“Sickness and diarrhoea bugs are very infectious, which can often mean an increase in cases in community settings, including schools, nurseries and residential homes. When that happens, those settings are supported by the Council’s Environmental Health Team to put measures in place which will mitigate against the risk of further spread.
“If a child is symptomatic, the advice to parents is to not send them to school, and to keep them at home until they have had no sickness and diarrhoea for at least 48 hours.”
Pentyrch Primary headteacher Amanda Reynolds has written to parents urging them to be aware of the virus, which is a notifiable illness, and to take precautions to stop the spread.
Her letter added: “A number of children within our school are currently absent due to suffering with vomiting and/or diarrhoea. This illness is likely to be caused by a virus known as Norovirus. Norovirus is also known as ‘Winter Vomiting Disease’ because it is common during the colder months of the year.”
She said the following precautions will reduce the spread of this illness in school:
- If your child vomits or has diarrhoea or is feeling genuinely sick do not send them to school.
- They should then not return to school until 48 hours (2 days) after their last symptom, for example if the last time they vomited was Tuesday 8.00pm they can come back to school on Friday. This is because you can still excrete and pass on the virus to other people even though you may feel better.
Her letter added: “While this illness is in our community, encourage your child to wash their hands regularly with liquid soap and warm water and dry them thoroughly. This is very important after they have used the toilet and before eating food.
“Please be assured we are in constant liaison with the relevant authorities (Local Authority Health and Safety Team and the Health, Safety and Communicable Disease Team) to seek appropriate advice.”
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