This isn’t just about patients getting ill. A vaccine could also help prevent healthcare staff absences, with current NHS policy stating any staff with symptoms of norovirus must leave work and not return until two days after their symptoms have passed.

The first norovirus vaccine could soon be rolled out across the UK - but what symptoms should we look out for in the meantime?

The world’s first norovirus vaccine is set to be trialled by the NHS in a bid to ease the strain on already stretched hospitals.

The new mRNA vaccine from Moderna will enter final stages of testing within the next two weeks, with results so far showing it creates a “strong immune response”.

The jab uses mRNA technology to tell the immune system to recognise a ‘foreign’ protein on viruses and mount an attack.

A trial in the UK will see a norovirus given to patients with the Health Secretary hoping it will cut the “burden on the NHS”.