‘Stay at home’ 48-hour warning issued over ‘incredibly infectious’ virus

Norovirus cases have skyrocketed

"Norovirus is incredibly infectious, so if you're feeling unwell stay home for 48 hours after symptoms stop as you are still infectious during this time," read an official warning, with cases reportedly more than double the five-season average between March 31 and April 27 this year.

That's 14,959 laboratory reports compared to the usual 6,446.

Coined the 'winter vomiting bug', norovirus symptoms suddenly appear and can include diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea, while other indicators could be headaches, stomach cramps, and a high fever.

Like most illnesses of this nature, contraction comes via close contact with an infected individual, and touching contaminated surfaces/objects and then the mouth.

"Stay at home. Do not return to work or send children to school until 48 hours after the symptoms have stopped and do not visit your GP or hospital while symptomatic," continued the UKHSA's message.

"If you are concerned about your symptoms, talk to your GP by phone, contact NHS 111 or visit the NHS norovirus webpage.

"Individuals are most infectious when symptomatic, but it is possible to pass on norovirus or shed the virus, thereby contaminating surfaces, objects or even food, both before developing symptoms and after symptoms have stopped," they added.

Hospital outbreaks of the norovirus have skyrocketed too, as official figures display a 43% increase in the five-season average.

Promisingly, the UKHSA did also acknowledge that the virus' numbers has recently "started to decrease".

This comes after it was announced last October that the first-ever norovirus vaccine was being trialled across close to 30 hospitals operating under the NHS.

More than six countries around the world are taking part, with 25,000 adults mostly above the age of 60 involved.

If successful, researchers are hoping that this vaccine can reduce the volume of vulnerable adults in hospitals during winter, eradicating some of the burden put upon the NHS.