The winter vomiting bug causes sickness and diarrhoea

Medway Maritime Hospital, Gillingham, shut eight of its 22 wards after 40 patients were affected by the Norovirus which causes vomiting and diarrhoea.

The Kent and Canterbury, the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Margate, and Dartford's Livingstone Hospital have all been affected by the disease.

The Kent and Sussex Hospital, Tunbridge Wells, still has seven wards shut.

Extra cleaning

Visiting hours for all the wards at the Medway Maritime Hospital have been restricted to two hours a day.

This is to allow for extra cleaning and to prevent the disease spreading further.

Health bosses have been urging relatives to delay visits unless they are essential.

On Friday, 10 out of the 14 wards at the Kent and Sussex were closed to new patients with emergency cases being sent to Maidstone Hospital.

It is hoped three of the seven wards which are still closed will re-open sometime on Monday.