THE number of people contracting the highly contagious norovirus in Notts has risen again.
In the week before Christmas, 750 people in the city and county visited their GP with symptoms.
This was ten per cent up on the 681 who went to see a GP the previous week.
But the figures may just be the tip of the iceberg – as the Health Protection Agency estimates that for everyone who goes to a GP with symptoms, there are 288 others with the illness.
The bug causes diarrhoea and vomiting and is easily spread.
Currently, one ward at Queen's Medical Centre is closed to new patients because of outbreaks of the virus.
And hospital bosses are urging people showing symptoms to stay away, especially on days like today when GP surgeries are closed.
A spokesman for Nottingham University NHS Trust, which runs the QMC, said the ward closure situation was monitored on a daily basis. He said it was too early to predict when the ward would reopen.
He said: "Visitors with norovirus are asked to stay away from hospital to reduce the risk of passing on winter bugs to hospital patients or other vulnerable people.
"If you are ill or have been ill (including diarrhoea and vomiting), please do not visit friends or relatives who are inpatients until you have been free of symptoms for at least 48 hours."
Of the 750 people who visited their GP in the week before Christmas, 185 live in the city, with the remaining 565 from the county. Health experts say those showing symptoms should stay at home and recover naturally rather than seek medical advice.
Norovirus expert John Harris, from the Health Protection Agency, said: "The number of laboratory-confirmed cases has risen once again as it appears that we have seen the rise in cases that usually begins in January start a little earlier than we normally expect.
"Norovirus is very contagious, and very unpleasant. To help prevent spread of the disease, it's important that people who believe they are unwell with the virus maintain good hand hygiene and stay away from hospitals, schools and care homes, as these closed environments are particularly prone to outbreaks which can cause severe disruption."
The virus can be transmitted through contact, from contaminated food or water or from contaminated surfaces.
Symptoms include a sudden onset of vomiting and/or diarrhoea. Often, people have a temperature, a headache and stomach cramps. It usually lasts for one or two days.
