Winter bug cases up 50%

A WARNING has been issued after the number of cases of the winter vomiting bug rose by almost 50 per cent in the past year.

During the first 44 weeks of 2012, Health Protection Scotland received a total of 2016 laboratory reports, a rise of 631 cases compared to the 1385 reported in the same period last year.

Chief medical officer Sir Harry Burns has urged health professionals and patients to look out for signs of the illness, which can be fatal in people who are already very weak or ill.