PEOPLE visiting relatives at the Cumberland Infirmary and the West Cumberland Hospital are being urged to stay away from vulnerable patients if they have symptoms of flu or sickness.

NHS bosses hope the message will help prevent the spread of infections such as norovirus, known as the winter vomiting bug.

Visitors are also being asked to ensure no more than two people visit patients in hospital at any one time, and only one person accompanies each patient in A&E.

Infections such as norovirus and flu are currently circulating in the community and can spread extremely quickly in close-knit environments.

The NHS is therefore urging people not to visit vulnerable patients in hospitals, care homes and the wider community, to help limit the spread.

Norovirus, the most common cause of vomiting and diarrhoea, is a nasty infection for anyone who gets it but can be particularly dangerous for people with other medical conditions.

The virus can be unwittingly brought in to the hospitals and other settings by visitors who are displaying symptoms or are not 48 hours clear.

The impact can be serious on vulnerable patients who are already unwell, have a long-term health condition and for those who are frail.

Clive Graham, consultant medical microbiologist at North Cumbria University NHS Hospitals Trust, said: “When we have loved ones who are poorly and in hospital, it’s natural we want to be with them, even if we’re feeling under the weather ourselves.

“However, influenza and norovirus are particularly contagious and the risk of passing these infections on to the person you are visiting in hospital who may already be quite ill – as well as other sick people and hospital staff – is extremely high.

“When a flu or norovirus outbreak occurs, particularly in an environment like a hospital, it is difficult to contain and can lead to the closure of entire wards, putting a huge strain on NHS resources.”

There is no treatment for norovirus but it is important people who have the winter vomiting bug keep hydrated to combat the loss of fluids. People with norovirus will recover in a day or two, but will remain infectious for up to three days after recovery.

Common symptoms of flu include a high temperature, fatigue, headache, general aches and pains and a dry, chesty cough. The best remedy is to rest at home.