INFORMATION has been issued to allay fears over ward closures at Whipps Cross University Hospital.

The hospital recently confirmed all wards remain closed to visitors until further notice and that 11 wards have been closed to new admissions after an outbreak of the norovirus, or winter vomiting bug.

The wards closed to new patients are those identified as as having been affected and the hospital has been on full-scale incident management since January 12.

A spokeswoman for the hospital said: “A patient and relative information sheet has been produced and widely distributed around the site.

“Staff volunteers have been present since last Wednesday at visiting times with info sheets to hand out to relatives.”

The spokeswoman also said there was no concern that relatives being unable to visit would hinder patients' recovery and that they are being kept fully informed by sisters and charge nurses on every ward.

However, she added that the affected wards were still being assessed on a daily basis and could not confirm when they would reopen.