Research and analysis

Suspected and laboratory-confirmed reported norovirus outbreaks in hospitals: outbreaks occurring in weeks 35 to 39, 2016

Updated 13 January 2017

The hospital norovirus outbreak reporting scheme (HNORS) recorded two outbreaks occurring between weeks 35 and 39, 2016, both of which led to ward/bay closures or restriction to admissions and were recorded as laboratory confirmed due to norovirus. Between week 1 (week beginning 4 January 2016) and week 39 (week beginning 26 September 2016) 369 outbreaks were reported. Ninety-seven per cent (357) of reported outbreaks resulted in ward/bay closures or restrictions to admissions and 80% (287) were laboratory confirmed as due to norovirus.

Suspected and laboratory-confirmed reported norovirus outbreaks in hospitals, with regional breakdown: outbreaks occurring in weeks 35 to 39 of 2016

Region/PHE Centre Outbreaks between weeks 35 to 39/2016 Total outbreaks weeks 1 to 39/2016
  Outbreaks Ward/bay closure* Lab-confirmed Outbreaks Ward/bay closure* Lab-confirmed
East of Enlgand
East Midlands 22 21 20
London 1 1
North East 1 1 1 61 57 50
North West 41 41 28
South East 1 1 1 34 33 27
South West 98 98 76
West Midlands 37 25 34
Yorkshire and Humberside 75 71 62
Total 2 2 2 369 357 287

* Note: not all outbreaks result in whole wards closures, some closures are restricted to bays only.

† The norovirus season runs from July to June (week 27 in year 1 to week 26 in year 2) in order to capture the winter peak in one season.

Note:the number of laboratory reports in the most recent weeks will increase as further reports are received. On 1 December 2014 a new laboratory reporting system was commissioned; as a result, direct comparisons between earlier reports (based on LabBase2) and the new system (SGSS) may not be valid.