Norovirus closes 45 hospital wards in the north-west
Outbreaks of Norovirus led to the closure of 45 hospital wards across northwest England a report has revealed.
Hospitals affected include Furness General Hospital and The Royal Lancaster Infirmary which closed an elderly care ward to new admissions in November.
The report, released by Public Health England this week, also showed that there have been 1,704 reports of Norovirus across England this season a 9% increase on the 5-season average for 2011-2016.
It also shows a 55% increase in cases for the same week last year, although last year saw an unusually low number of Norovirus outbreaks.
In the last two weeks of November there were 14 reported cases of Norovirus in hospitals across England which led to ward closures.