Wiltshire Council has shared information about the rising cases of Norovirus in the UK.

Norovirus, also known as the winter vomiting bug, is a stomach bug that causes sickness and diarrhoea, and puts vulnerable individuals at risk of suffering more serious and prolonged illness.

The council has shared a post by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which warns about symptoms such as “sudden onset of nausea, projectile vomiting and diarrhoea”, as well as “a high temperature, abdominal pain and aching limbs”.

According to the UKHSA, Norovirus is easily transmitted through contact between people and any surfaces or objects that have been contaminated with the virus.

For most people, the winter vomiting bug results in “an unpleasant, short-lived illness” and recovery occurs within two to three days without needing any medicine.

However, some groups - including young children, the elderly or those with weakened immunity - are at more at risk than others.

The post shared by Wiltshire Council on X explains that infected individuals should stay away from work and school for 48 hours after the end of symptoms.

Good hand hygiene with soap and warm water is an important way to stop the spread, but the UKHSA warns that alcohol-based hand sanitisers are not effective against Norovirus.