Hospital ward hit by norovirus

The ward was closed last Monday after patients were taken ill with the  sickness and diarrhoea bug.

A spokeswoman for the hospital said this week  that the ward was being thoroughly cleaned but could not reveal how many patients or which ward had been affected.

A number of wards at Doncaster Royal Infirmary were also closed as a result of the virus.

The outbreak prompted a warning from health chiefs for patients and visitors to stay away from hospital if they have flu-like symptoms, diarrhoea and vomiting, even up to several days after the initial illness has cleared up.

The spokeswoman said: “Getting an infection while in hospital means a longer stay and blocks a bed that another patient may need.”

The first sign of norovirus is usually a sudden sick feeling followed by forceful vomiting and watery diarrhoea.

Symptoms usually appear one to two days after becoming infected and most people make a full recovery within a couple of days.

Apart from the risk of dehydration, the illness is not generally dangerous and there are usually no long-lasting effects.