A WINTER vomiting bug has now spread to a Worcester hospital, leading to the closure of medical bays on some wards.

The bug, which causes violent sickness and diarrhoea, was yesterday present in patients on two wards at Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester and two wards at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.

A spokesman for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: “Two bays are affected at Worcestershire Royal Hospital and two at the Alexandra Hospital due to norovirus. Please try to avoid visiting if you have had symptoms within last 48 hours.”

The trust published a message on its website yesterday asking people with symptoms to stay at home and call their GP or NHS Direct rather than risking transmitting the infection further by coming to hospital.

There have been five outbreaks of lab-confirmed norovirus in Worcestershire and 21 in the West Midlands between December 12 and 25 (the latest published figures from the Health Protection Agency).

Nationwide, there have been 46 outbreaks of suspected norovirus in hospitals over this period, with 26 of these (57 per cent) leading to ward closures or restrictions to admissions.

A total of 17 of the cases, which occurred between December 12 and 25 were then confirmed as cases of norovirus following lab tests.

Since the beginning of October, there have been 244 outbreaks reported, with 153 (63 per cent) leading to ward closures, and 125 (51 per cent) being confirmed as norovirus outbreaks following laboratory tests.

Not all outbreaks are at hospitals as the bug is also found in the community, including care homes and schools.

However, Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust said there had been no cases reported at any of the county’s community hospitals.

The number of hospital-acquired infections has doubled from 22,488 to 42,712 in just two years.

The figures, from the NHS Information Centre, refer to all infections including superbugs MRSA and Clostridium difficile, plus others such as norovirus and E.coli.

Most of those affected are elderly, which means that their chances of recovery are very limited.

The number of NHS beds closed due to norovirus-type symptoms has doubled within a week but was still within expected levels.