PEOPLE in Ludlow and south Shropshire are being advised not to visit friends and relatives in hospital if they have any symptoms of Norovirus.

Health chiefs say that local hospitals as well as both the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital in Telford are reporting increases in cases of the ‘winter vomiting’ virus.

They say that there are incidents where it appears that patients who are already sick have caught the condition from visitors.

It is a virus that usually increases in winter and sufferers are likely to feel generally unwell with flu-like symptoms as well as vomiting and diarrhoea.

The advice is that it may well be best to keep away even if people only have a mild stomach upset as the condition can be high contagious.

“We know that sometimes visitors feel they must take every opportunity to visit sick friends or relatives,” said Dr Patricia O’Neill, Consultant Microbiologist and Director of Infection Prevention and Control at The Shrewsbury and Telford HNS Trust.

“However, if they have been unwell, they could be putting others at risk. If you are unsure whether to visit, feel free to contact the ward nurse before coming into hospital.”