Hand washing with soap and water is the only effective way to keep it at bay
The number of outbreaks of the highly infectious “vomiting bug” has risen to 113 – up from 50 two weeks previously, prompting the issuing of hand washing advice from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), according to a recent report on the Daily Mail website.
The UKHSA believes that the sudden surge of the illness has resulted from “increased mixing” since covid restrictions have been lifted writes health reported Luke Andrews.
Incidents in care homes also increased during the same period by around a third says the article. This is, it maintains, usually followed by a site in hospitals cases.
Teach children to wash their hands properly
It is therefore imperative that all young children are taught to wash their hands properly with soap and water – not only as an important life skill, but in the face of the expected increase in current illnesses.
Lesley Larkin, the UKHSA’s lead for stomach infections, warns in the report that an “out of season” increase can be controlled with effective hand hygiene – and that reliance on hand gels, (which are not always the safer option for younger children anyway) under current circumstances, simply will not wash, as it were.
“Hand washing is really important to help stop the spread of this bug, but unlike for Covid alcohol hand sanitisers do not kill off norovirus, so soap and warm water is best.”
Outbreaks of vomiting bug norovirus double in a fortnight in English schools as health chiefs warn of post-Covid boom in seasonal viruses »
Hand wash units – wherever they’re needed!
Teal produces portable hand washing sinks that are idea for preschool and nursery children including the KiddiSynk and KiddiWash.
The Teal range of mobile sinks includes the MediWash, Hygienius and Hygienius ProWash, BigSynk, Super Stallette, TEALwash, Handeman Xtra, Compact Classic, HandSpa, CliniWash – and now the new WashStand Xtra.