Norovirus hits Lothians hard

LOTHIAN hospitals remain among the hardest-hit by the norovirus winter vomiting bug in Scotland.

The latest figures released by Health Protection Scotland showed there were 39 patients ill with norovirus in the region’s hospitals on Monday, one more than in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area and 14 more than Lanarkshire, which was the third-worst affected.

Five wards in three Lothian hospitals remained shut.

Five NHS Lothian staff had norovirus, compared to four in the Glasgow area, where six wards were closed, and 10 in Lanarkshire where four wards had been shut down.

In mid-December, 12 wards were shut in Lothian and 96 patients had the virus.