Patients warned away from hospitals during winter norovirus season

A report from Public Health England has revealed evidence that the winter norovirus season may have now arrived.

There were 18 outbreaks of norovirus in hospitals reported across England in October 2014, 17 of which led to ward closures. Such closures are necessary to help stop transmission of the highly contagious virus, but are themselves highly disruptive.

Between July 2013 to June 2014, a total of 610 outbreaks were reported in hospitals, of which 571 led to ward closures. As such, people with symptoms of norovirus are advised not to visit hospitals this winter and to instead telephone NHS 111 for advice.

Typical norovirus symptoms include the sudden onset of projectile vomiting, watery diarrhoea, headaches, mild temperature and stomach cramps.

John Harris, an expert in norovirus at Public Health England, said: "No two norovirus seasons are the same and there is no way of predicting how busy a season will be."

Also known as the winter vomiting bug, norovirus is the most common stomach bug in the UK. Each year, it is estimated that between 600,000 and one million people catch the disease.