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Cockroach infestation blights maternity ward

26/09/2007

A Manchester maternity unit has been shut while fumigators tackle a cockroach infestation

Rochdale Infirmary has transferred patients to nearby Fairfield Hospital in north Manchester and it is hoping to reopen the unit on Friday.

The infirmary said that all other departments were open as normal and assured patients not to worry.

"The fumigation process has now finished and we've been given the all clear. We are aiming to be open by Friday," a spokesman said.

"As soon as the problem was discovered, action had to be taken very quickly."

Apart from the disgust factor associated with cockroaches, there is also the risk that they could spread salmonella, viruses and even polio.

At the weekend, the prime minister announced that the NHS is to undergo a "deep clean" in order restore patient confidence in hospital cleanliness.