Suspected and laboratory-confirmed reported norovirus outbreaks in hospitals: outbreaks occurring in weeks 1 to 4, 2017
Updated 8 December 2017
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The hospital norovirus outbreak reporting scheme (HNORS) recorded 37 outbreaks occurring between weeks 1 and 4, 2017, 36 of which (97 per cent) led to ward/bay closures or restriction to admissions and 24 (65 per cent) were recorded as laboratory-confirmed due to norovirus. Between week 1 (week beginning 4 January 2016) and week 52 (week beginning 26 December 2016) 573 outbreaks were reported. Ninety-five per cent (547) of reported outbreaks resulted in ward/bay closures or restrictions to admissions and 79% (433) were laboratory-confirmed as due to norovirus.
Suspected and laboratory-confirmed reported norovirus outbreaks in hospitals, with regional breakdown: outbreaks occurring in weeks 1 to 4 of 2017
| Region/PHE Centre | Outbreaks between weeks 1 to 4/2017 | Total outbreaks weeks 1 to 52/2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outbreaks | Ward/bay closure* | Lab-confirmed | Outbreaks | Ward/bay closure* | Lab-confirmed | |
| East of England | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| East Midlands | 2 | 2 | 2 | 33 | 31 | 31 |
| London | 1 | 1 | – | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| North East | 6 | 6 | 6 | 81 | 76 | 57 |
| North West | 4 | 4 | 3 | 65 | 62 | 45 |
| South East | 5 | 5 | 1 | 51 | 50 | 35 |
| South West | 3 | 3 | 2 | 148 | 147 | 121 |
| West Midlands | 16 | 15 | 10 | 67 | 62 | 45 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | – | – | – | 124 | 115 | 97 |
| Total | 37 | 36 | 24 | 573 | 547 | 433 |
* Note: not all outbreaks result in whole wards closures, some closures are restricted to bays only.
In the current season to date † (from week 27, 2016, to week 4, 2017), there were 575 laboratory reports of norovirus. This is 28% lower than the average number of laboratory reports for the same period in the seasons between 20012 and 2016 (800).
† 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.