Patients should stay at home and drink fluids if they are affected by winter vomiting disease, the Royal College of GPs chair has urged.

Professor Steve Field also advised patients to take paracetamol, wash hands regularly and stay at home two days after the symptoms have gone.

A wave of 56 hospital wards have been forced to close to prevent norovirus from spreading. Visitor restrictions are being enforced at Pennine Acute trust amid reports that a record 100,000 people are catching the bug each week.

Topics