STAFF at Dorset County Hospital said the norovirus outbreak is being contained after the closure of four wards. This week four wards have been closed at the Dorchester hospital and around 35 patients and staff have been affected with the vomiting and diarrhoea bug.

Staff believe the latest outbreak started after a patient from a residential home brought in the virus from the community.

The latest outbreak has had a major impact on the running of the hospital with four wards closing.

Today the wards that remain closed are the Day Lewis Ward for elderly patients, the Purbeck Ward for orthopaedics, the Coronary Care Unit and the Hinton medical cardiology ward.

Infection prevention and control nurse consultant Anne Smith said: “At the moment the situation is controlled and there have been no further outbreaks and we are starting to intensively clean the ward – the situation seems to be contained.

“It takes quite a long time to clean the ward and we have organised extra staff to come in over the weekend to start it.

“We hope that the Coronary Care unit can open up after the weekend – we have managed to not compromise care by taking in patients in another ward.”

The new outbreak follows a previous outbreak in February when three wards closed and more than 50 patients and staff were ill. Two wards were also shut by an outbreak over the New Year.

Director of nursing and infection prevention and control Alison Tong is urging people to help contain the spread of the rapidly spreading airborne virus by not visiting the hospital unless it is essential.

Hospital visitor Amanda Chowdhary, 30, of Weymouth, said: “It is concerning if you are thinking of visiting the hospital with children. I used to work as bank staff three years ago and viruses like this were a worry back then because of the cleanliness.”