Suspected and laboratory-confirmed reported norovirus outbreaks in hospitals: outbreaks occurring in weeks 5 to 8, 2017
Updated 8 December 2017
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The hospital norovirus outbreak reporting scheme (HNORS) recorded 22 outbreaks occurring between weeks 5 and 8, 2017, 21 of which (95 per cent) led to ward/bay closures or restriction to admissions and 20 (91 per cent) were recorded as laboratory-confirmed due to norovirus. From week 1 (week beginning 2 January 2017) and week 8 (week beginning 20 February 2017) 64 outbreaks were reported. Ninety-seven per cent (62) of reported outbreaks resulted in ward/bay closures or restrictions to admissions and 79% (49) were laboratory-confirmed as due to norovirus.
Suspected and laboratory-confirmed reported norovirus outbreaks in hospitals, with regional breakdown: outbreaks occurring in weeks 5 to 8 of 2017
| Region/PHE Centre | Outbreaks between weeks 5 to 8/2017 | Total outbreaks weeks 1 to 8/2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outbreaks | Ward/bay closure* | Lab-confirmed | Outbreaks | Ward/bay closure* | Lab-confirmed | |
| East of England | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| East Midlands | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| London | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | – |
| North East | 7 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
| North West | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| South East | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 4 |
| South West | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| West Midlands | 6 | 5 | 6 | 22 | 20 | 16 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Total | 22 | 21 | 20 | 64 | 62 | 49 |
* Note: not all outbreaks result in whole wards closures, some closures are restricted to bays only.
In the current season to date † (from week 1, 2017, to week 8, 2017), there were 1222 laboratory reports of norovirus. This is 33% lower than the average number of laboratory reports for the same period in the seasons between 2012 and 2016 (1820).
† 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.