It was confirmed yesterday that wards have been forced to close, and visiting hours restricted at 23 hospitals over the past two weeks following outbreaks of a potentially fatal winter vomiting bug.

Incidents of violent sickness and diarrhoea have been reported at 34 hospitals in England over the past fortnight, with 19 of those being confirmed norovirus outbreaks.

A spokesperson for the Health Protection Agency said: “The numbers this year are a little lower than normal, but this could change if the icy conditions continue.”

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Written exclusively for The Life Dept | Live Longer | 7 February 2012

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