As many as 750,000 people across England and Wales may have contracted the norovirus winter vomiting bug during a recent outbreak, figures from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) showed Thursday.
There have been 2,630 laboratory confirmed reports of the highly contagious virus since July, up 72 percent on the same period last year, the HPA said.
But for every reported case, there are an estimated 288 sufferers who do not go to the doctor with their symptoms, the HPA added, meaning 757,440 people could have been be affected by the stomach bug.
The HPA’s figures were based on data from a six-year study on infectious intestinal diseases published by the Food Standards Agency.
The HPA added that there had been 45 hospital outbreaks of the virus in the two weeks up to December 9.
Among those struck down by the virus are passengers on board a cruise liner currently in the Baltic Sea, who have been confined to their rooms and warned not to leave the ship which left Southampton last Tuesday on a 10-day journey.
The Daily Telegraph reported that 300 of the 1,843 passengers on the Oriana were affected though a spokeswoman for P&O Cruises parent company Carnival said that, of the 1,843 on board, “the number of passengers with active symptoms is six”.
Norovirus causes diarrhoea and/or vomiting and is the most common cause of infectious gastroenteritis across England and Wales, the HPA says.
The illness is generally mild and sufferers usually recover fully within 2-3 days, the agency says, adding that there are no long-term effects.
The HPA warns sufferers not to visit their doctor at the first sign of symptoms.
“It is vital that anyone who is feeling unwell with gastrointestinal symptoms, vomiting and or diarrhoea, should not visit hospitals or their GP because this increases the risk of spreading the infection to patients and staff,” the agency says on its website.
“However, if symptoms persist for more than three or four days, or those who already have a serious illness, then it is advised that medical attention is sought, through contacting your GP.”
Vomiting bug 'may have affected 750,000' in UK
