Latest news with #PHA
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- General
- Belfast Telegraph
PHA ‘working closely' with NI nursery closed following E-coli outbreak
Parents and staff at the nursery – which is in the Belfast area – have been informed and given advice on how to reduce the spread of infection. The PHA has not named the nursery. A spokesperson said: 'The Public Health Agency (PHA) is investigating and managing an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) associated with a nursery in Belfast. 'All relevant public health actions are being undertaken. As a precautionary measure the nursery has voluntarily closed to allow for testing of all children and staff and a deep clean. 'PHA is working closely with the nursery to ensure all infection control measures are in place. Parents and staff at the nursery have been informed and given advice to help reduce the risk of spreading the infection. "PHA continues to monitor the situation.' STEC symptoms can include diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever but most people recover within five to seven days. The PHA also issued advice for anyone who contracts the infection. 'Most people with STEC infection get better within five to seven days,' they said. "However diarrhoeal illnesses can be easily spread from person to person in nursery settings due to the close contact between children and staff, especially as young children may not be able to maintain good hand hygiene. "It is vital that everyone follows some simple rules to help prevent the spread of diarrhoeal illness – not just those with symptoms. News Catch Up - Tuesday 3 June "Everyone should wash their hands with soap and water after using the toilet and before eating or preparing food. Use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available, however soap and water is the preferred option. "People with vomiting or diarrhoea should remain at home until they have stopped having symptoms for at least 48 hours to avoid passing it on to others.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Nursery school shuts due to E. coli outbreak
A Belfast nursery school has closed for a "deep clean" following an E. coli outbreak. The Public Health Agency (PHA) confirmed it was investigating and managing an outbreak of "Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC)" linked to the nursery. The PHA did not name the school but said it had shut voluntarily for cleaning and to allow all staff and pupils to be tested for the infection. STEC symptoms can include diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever but most people recover within five to seven days. However, a small proportion of patients, mainly children, can develop a serious life-threatening condition which can lead to kidney failure. The PHA said it was "working closely with the nursery to ensure all infection control measures are in place" and was continuing to monitor the situation. It explained "diarrhoeal illnesses can be easily spread from person to person in nursery settings due to the close contact between children and staff". The outbreak was first reported by Belfast Live on Tuesday morning.
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Belfast nursery school shuts due to E. coli outbreak
A Belfast nursery school has closed for a "deep clean" following an E. coli outbreak. The Public Health Agency (PHA) confirmed it was investigating and managing an outbreak of "Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC)" linked to the nursery. The PHA did not name the school but said it had shut voluntarily for cleaning and to allow all staff and pupils to be tested for the infection. STEC symptoms can include diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever but most people recover within five to seven days. However, a small proportion of patients, mainly children, can develop a serious life-threatening condition which can lead to kidney failure. The PHA said it was "working closely with the nursery to ensure all infection control measures are in place" and was continuing to monitor the situation. It explained "diarrhoeal illnesses can be easily spread from person to person in nursery settings due to the close contact between children and staff".The outbreak was first reported by Belfast Live on Tuesday morning.
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Health
- Belfast Telegraph
Department of Health bypassed own regulator over report into the Royal's cardiac unit
A leaked report made headlines last week after it found an 'intolerable working environment and a pattern of consistently poor behaviour within the unit'. It indicated operations had been cancelled due to 'personal grievances' between staff and that four consultants had been working from home, citing 'safety and wellbeing' concerns. Chair of the health committee, Sinn Féin's Philip McGuigan, has called on the department to publish the report 'in the interest of transparency', adding that he had not yet seen it. Northern Ireland's health watchdog, the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA), has confirmed it was not approached to carry out a review into the issues at the cardiac surgery unit. A spokesperson said: 'RQIA has not been asked to produce any such report recently.' The body had previously inspected the unit in December 2021. It came a year after a Royal College of Surgeons invited service review report which found a 'breakdown of communication and working relationships within the service'. The invited service review was completed in March 2020, just weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, and made 37 recommendations relating to interpersonal and behavioural issues within the service. RQIA's review found some improvements had been made. 'RQIA were pleased to see early signs of change and improvement whilst cognisant that it takes time to make cultural changes and embed these fully within a service; it is a journey that requires strong and resilient leadership to embed the vision, align behaviours accordingly and instil robust systems of monitoring and accountability,' concluded the regulator. It recommended that the Trust should 'ensure the cardiothoracic management team involves and actively engages with all staff disciplines and groups'. 'Meetings should be structured to promote constructive discussion and collaboration to address the recommendations of the invited service review,' added the review team. It is understood the leaked review was commissioned by the Public Health Agency (PHA) working alongside the department. A Department of Health spokesperson said 'expert input' from other parts of the UK was required to complete the report. 'Cardiac surgery is a highly specialised service and the Royal Victoria Hospital is the only unit in Northern Ireland to deliver this service,' they said. 'For this reason, securing expertise from people experienced in the area means going outside Northern Ireland. 'An earlier external review had been undertaken in the Royal Victoria Hospital by the Royal College of Surgeons. That review confirmed the cardiac service was safe, but highlighted areas for improvement. Whilst Belfast Trust subsequently undertook work to address issues raised, the department and PHA obtained further external expertise to help support the team with a focus on two metrics — patient safety and team working. 'It was agreed to engage an experienced team with specific expertise involving senior clinicians who had completed similar work in the UK, including in other cardiac surgery units.' Mr McGuigan told the BBC Sunday Politics programme that the report had led to 'very many public trust issues'. 'We are told there are recommendations and an action plan contained within the report. 'I think for proper scrutiny and to restore public trust, what we need to see is the report in the first instance published so we can interrogate the recommendations for restoring public trust in this issue,' he said. Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has said he wants to place the report in the library of the Assembly, but is currently receiving legal advice. 'People need to have confidence when they go to a hospital or whatever health setting that they are going to be looked after properly,' added Mr McGuigan. 'One of the things in the report was that the behaviour of the staff was posing a risk to patient safety, so that in itself is very concerning.'
Belfast Telegraph
3 days ago
- Health
- Belfast Telegraph
Presence of rapidly-spreading new Covid variant confirmed in NI
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned the new strain, named NB.1.8.1, currently accounts for just over 10% of global Covid infections. Data produced by the Public Health Agency (PHA), has reported seven cases of the new variant within the last two months. The strain was first detected in NI in the week commencing April 14, when five cases were identified, with a further case the following week and a seventh during the week beginning May 12. NB.1.8.1 has been designated by the WHO as a 'variant under monitoring' due to its rapid global rise and its potential to avoid immunity from previous infections or vaccines. It is currently the dominant variant across Hong Kong and China and has been detected in the US, Australia, Egypt, Thailand and the Maldives. "Respiratory viruses like COVID-19 are still very much in circulation' – Rachel Spiers, PHA WHO data indicates the strain has jumped from accounting for 2.5% of submitted global sequences to 10.7% in just four weeks, prompting international concern. A WHO spokesperson said: "SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve, and between January and May 2025, there were shifts in global SARS-CoV-2 variant dynamics. At the beginning of the year, the most prevalent variant tracked by WHO at the global level was XEC, followed by KP.3.1.1. "In February, circulation of XEC began to decline while that of LP.8.1 increased, with the latter becoming the most detected variant in mid-March. Since mid-April, the circulation of LP.8.1 has been slightly declining as NB.1.8.1 is increasingly being detected." Experts have said the strain carries multiple mutations that may infect cells more efficiently than earlier strains, but added there was no evidence it causes any more severe symptoms. It is reported that the new variant triggers gastrointestinal symptoms – nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation and heartburn – in some patients, a shift from the respiratory symptoms of earlier strains. It comes after the PHA last week revealed more than half of those invited for the Covid-19 Spring vaccination are yet to come forward. Some 42,457 vaccinations had been administered by May 11, with uptake highest among care home residents (34.8%) and those aged 75 years and over (24.8%). The vaccine is also being offered to anyone aged six months and over who is immunosuppressed. Rachel Spiers, Immunisation and Vaccination Programme Manager at the PHA, said: 'The Covid-19 spring vaccination programme will run until 30 June, so there is still time for the more vulnerable members of our community to top up their protection ahead of any potential waves of COVID-19 over the coming months. "But they should not delay any further. Respiratory viruses like Covid-19 are still very much in circulation and they can be life threatening for the most vulnerable people in society. News Catch Up - Monday 2nd June "Residents in older adult care homes, adults who are 75 or over and people who are immunosuppressed are particularly vulnerable to complications from Covid-19. 'It is important to keep up to date with your vaccines, as viruses change and protection fades over time. "The best way to protect yourself and others is through vaccination. I would urge everyone who falls into an eligible group to take up the offer of free vaccination.' The latest vaccination programme closes on June 30.
