A PRIMARY school in Wokingham borough has been forced to close after a bug has swept through the classrooms.
More than 100 pupils from Hawkedon Primary School in Lower Earley have gone down with the Norovirus, a winter vomiting bug.
The school closed on Tuesday, November 21 for two days as a precaution and will re-open as normal on Thursday, November 23.
The virus is an unpleasant one, causing diarrhoea and vomiting, is one of the most common stomach bugs in the UK.
NHS Direct says that symptoms include projectile vomiting and watery diarrhoea. Some people also have a slight fever, headaches, painful stomach cramps and aching limbs.
The symptoms appear one to two days after you become infected and typically last for up to two or three days.
Advice is to stay at home, drink plenty of fluids: more than usual to replace what was lost from vomiting. Avoid fizzy drinks or fruit juice as it could make symptoms worse.
Norovirus can spread very easily, so you should wash your hands regularly while you’re ill and stay off work or school until at least 48 hours after the symptoms have cleared to reduce the risk of passing it on.
It can be prevented by washing hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water – NHS choices says that alcohol hand gels don’t kill the virus.
