200,000 a week catch norovirus sickness bug...and there's no treatment

Many thousands more are expected to catch it when offices and schools reopen after the Christmas break on Monday.

Already, more than 100 hospital wards have been closed, operations cancelled and visitors banned in a desperate attempt to halt the march of the norovirus.

Experts warned last night that next week's return to work provides perfect conditions for the bug, which is 100,000 times more infectious than salmonella, to spread like "wildfire".

No part of the country has escaped the clutches of norovirus, which causes uncontrollable projectile vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, headaches and aching joints.

The economy is being hit to the tune of £40million a day as production falls and workers stay away.

Hugh Pennington, emeritus professor of microbiology at Aberdeen University, said a "handful" of virus particles was enough to cause infection.

"It is a very low infectious dose," he said. "Projectile vomiting is one of its hallmarks and it is very, very infectious.

"We have had outbreaks where someone has been sick at a pop concert or in a hotel or on a cruise liner - anywhere where people are gathered together and can't easily escape when someone is sick.

"People being sick in the corner of the office will just add to the opportunity for the virus to get around."

Sally Bloomfield, an honorary professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "If the current outbreak is to be contained, it needs to be tackled at source - in the home.

"Norovirus infections are transmitted like wildfire around families and other community groups unless good hygiene is practised."

Among the dozen of wards closed are 15 in Greater Manchester, including 11 at the Royal Oldham hospital, and at least three in Leeds at the General Infirmary and St James's University Hospital.

The "unrelenting pressure" from the virus has led to Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust cancelling all nonemergency operations at its three hospitals until January 9 at the earliest.

John Rostill, the trust's chief executive, said: "We realise that cancelling operations causes distress and disruption and we apologise in advance to the patients affected.

"However, we are sure that this decision is correct and we must do all we can to maintain a safe environment for those patients already in our care."

Several hospitals have told people not to visit patients if they have been unwell or if their visit is not essential.

A spokesman for the Portsmouth NHS Trust, where three wards are closed, said: "We are dealing with it aggressively by stopping the movement of patients around and with notices going up asking people not to bring elderly or child visitors or flowers to affected wards."

The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen hospital trust is interviewing all new patients to assess the risk they are infected, while Southampton General Hospital is deepcleaning wards before they are reopened.

Children are generally less susceptible to the bug, which costs the NHS up to £ 100million a year.

The Royal College of GPs has warned workers to remain at home for 48 hours after symptoms have subsided to avoid spreading the bug and to stay away from doctors' surgeries and hospitals.

...AND THERE'S NO TREATMENT

The first symptom of the norovirus is nausea. The second is uncontrollable projectile vomiting.

Other symptoms such as diarrhoea, fever and aching limbs have led to the illness often being described as "stomach flu".

Symptoms generally appear between 12 and 48 hours after infection and last up to three days.

Patients are infectious for 48 hours after their symptoms have cleared.

There is no treatment, other than staying warm indoors and drinking liquids. Victims must allow the virus to run its course, meaning many are off sick from work for days.

The bug thrives in environments such as schools, nursing homes and hospitals but can be beaten by good hygiene.

Most people recover. However the very old, young and those already seriously ill risk dehydration, which can have lifethreatening results.