Nottinghamshire identified as diarrhoea HOTSPOT after second highest rate of cases across region
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Nottinghamshire is revealed as a hotspot for diarrhoea in the past week, according to a surveillance system designed to spot early signs of infectious disease outbreaks.
Doctors in the county reported seeing 42 patients with diarrhoea during the week to November 8.
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The latest data from the government health body shows cases of toilet trouble increased in Nottinghamshire over the latest week, up 83 per cent on the week before.
Diarrhoea was more common in the area than almost any other council in the East Midlands, with 23.7 cases per 100,000 people compared to a regional average of 18.2.
When compared to the England average, the number of diarrhoea cases seen in Nottinghamshire was above seven per cent higher than would be expected.
What causes diarrhoea?
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Hide AdThere are numerous causes of diarrhoea including viruses, bacterial infections, and even parasites.
Diarrhoea can be a symptom of norovirus, known as the winter vomiting bug, a highly contagious stomach virus which runs rampant in the colder months.
It is one of the many viruses which cause gastroenteritis – an infection of the gastrointestinal tract that leads to diarrhoea and vomiting.
Both gastroenteritis and vomiting are tracked separately in the surveillance system.
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Hide AdIn Nottinghamshire, doctors saw 5 cases of vomiting per 100,000 people in the latest week – 50 per cent lower than the England average.
For gastroenteritis, there were 37.3 cases per 100,000, 18 per cent above the national rate.
What about the rest of the East Midlands?
The council areas in the East Midlands ranked from highest to lowest diarrhoea prevalence last week are:
- Derby with 37.6 cases per 100,000 people
- Derbyshire with 21.9 cases per 100,000 people
- Nottingham with 20.9 cases per 100,000 people
- Northamptonshire with 20.6 cases per 100,000 people
- Lincolnshire with 17.2 cases per 100,000 people
- Leicester with 8.8 cases per 100,000 people
- Leicestershire with 7.7 cases per 100,000 people