Britain is in the grip of a winter vomiting outbreak which has already seen many thousands fall victim to the debilitating virus.
Cases of the bug have surged to a five-year high and the health service has reported outbreaks at dozens of hospitals.
Front-line health workers are being struck down by the virus, leaving overstretched departments badly under-staffed.
Experts say the norovirus bug has arrived early this year and have warned the problem will worsen over the winter.
Figures from the Health Protection Agency show the number of confirmed reports of the virus – where samples have been sent by hospitals or GPs to laboratories for tests – is up 52 per cent on last year.
There have been 1,975 cases since July – compared to 1,301 this time last year.
However, this is a just a tiny fraction of the real number because the vast majority of victims do not report their symptoms to their GP. In addition, there have now been 53 outbreaks at NHS trusts across the country.
This includes 45 hospitals which have been forced to close off wards and find space for patients elsewhere while they carry out a deep clean of the wards.
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