THREE wards at Hereford County Hospital have been closed to visitors due to Norovirus.

Redbrook, Wye and Day Case wards are all closed due to cases of diarrhoea and vomiting.

The hospital trust said this kind of outbreak comes from within the community and is often seen at this time of year.

Experience has shown that restricting visiting can lessen the chances of spreading the virus to both patients and visitors and other areas of the hospital.

Visitors with diarrhoea and/or vomiting must not visit other areas of the hospital until they have been free of symptoms for 48 hours.

Visitors are also asked to use the alcohol gels available in all wards/departments in order to prevent any further spread of infection.

Alison Johnson, consultant microbiologist at Wye Valley NHS Trust, said: “We want to thank patients and visitors for their understanding during this period and to emphasise that these restrictions are in place to protect our patients, as part of a zero tolerance approach to healthcare associated infections.”