Waikato Hospital tells sick visitors to stay away

Waikato Hospital, which is battling a norovirus outbreak, is advising sick visitors to stay away despite having no new cases for 24 hours.

Fourteen patients and five staff have been stricken with the gastrointestinal bug this week.

There had not been any new cases of diarrhoea and vomiting in the affected ward over the last 24 hours, but seven patients and a member of staff still had symptoms, hospital spokeswoman Mary Anne Gill said tonight.

People with any of the following: a cough, runny nose, sneezing, aches, fever, diarrhoea or vomiting should stay at home and not visit hospitals, she said.

In Timaru there have been 33 cases of the illness, which closed Ranui Free Kindergarten today.

Norovirus is a highly contagious stomach gastrointestinal bug.

- NZPA