NENAGH GENERAL HOSPITAL has introduced a complete ban on public visits on a temporary basis, after instances of two contagious conditions were identified in the hospital.

Three patients in the hospital have been diagnosed with C-Difficile, a condition in which the digestive system becomes overrun with a bacteria causing bloating and abdominal pain.

A fourth, meanwhile, has been diagnosed with Norovirus, which is responsible for most cases of gastroenteritis.

A HSE spokesman said that the hospital had introduced the ban yesterday, marking an intensification of its usual control procedures.

Hospital management have appealed to the public not to visit the hospital unless in cases of grave emergency, and instructed the public not to enter a hospital ward unless given permission to do so by hospital staff.

“C-Difficile can be found in the community, but you have to take precautions once it’s discovered,” the spokesman said.

Norovirus, meanwhile, is usually manageable for most people, but had potentially serious implications for older or more seriously ill patients in the hospital if they were to contract the virus.

The spokesman explained, however, that the closure was relatively routine and commonplace, and that the situation at the hospital appeared to be improving.