Hospital shuts wards in 'biggest' norovirus outbreak

Four wards have been closed in the hospital due to norovirus

A winter vomiting bug has closed four wards in a Middlesbrough hospital.

The norovirus outbreak is the “biggest” the James Cook University Hospital has seen in the “last four or five years”, said Dr Mike Stewart.

The virus is highly infectious and causes diarrhoea and vomiting.

People have been warned to avoid the hospital if they have any symptoms.

The hospital team have spent the last few days managing the outbreak, said Dr Stewart, who is chief medical officer for South Tees Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Norovirus is transmitted via direct contact with faeces, contaminated surfaces or airborne particles from vomit.

"Norovirus cases in the community are currently high," Jo Carter, the lead nurse for infection prevention and control at the trust, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"If you have any symptoms of diarrhoea or vomiting, please do not visit the hospital as this increases the risk of transmission to our patients and staff," she said.

People experiencing norovirus symptoms can be advised by NHS staff over the phone, she added.