TWO wards at a Kent hospital have been closed to new patients and quarantined following an outbreak of the virulent winter vomiting bug.

Seven elderly patients and two nurses on the adjoining Beresford Jones and Northbourne wards at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital in Canterbury have contracted the illness, known as the Norovirus.

The latest case was identified on Monday and the wards will need to be clear of any infection for 72 hours before they can be re-opened to new patients.

Debbie Weston, clinical nurse specialist and infection controller for the East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust, described the bug as "extremely unpleasant".

She said: "People who contract it suddenly feel very ill with little warning, are violently sick and suffer diarrhoea.

"The symptoms can start between 12 and 28 hours of getting the bug and there is little we can do to treat it apart from ensuring patients do not become dehydrated.

"But it can be potentially dangerous for elderly patients who are already particularly weak. It has been problematic for us and it has been necessary to close the wards to admissions and restrict visits to contain the bug from spreading.

"It is very contagious because the virus particles are airborne and a robust cleansing regime is vital.

"There will also be a deep clean of the wards before they are re-opened to new patients which we hope we can do by the end of the week as long as there are no new cases."