Two wards at a B.C. hospital have been closed to new patients after an outbreak of Norwalk virus was confirmed.

Twenty three patients and 37 staff members at Burnaby Hospital, just outside of Vancouver, have been diagnosed with the gastrointestinal virus, according to a hospital spokesperson.

Patients with minor health complaints who would normally attend the hospital are being asked to see their family doctor or attend a walk-in clinic to take some of the pressure off the hospital.

Symptoms of Norwalk include acute diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting, as well as headaches and fever.

The most effective steps to take to avoid developing the gastrointestinal virus are as follows:

• Wash hands with soap and warm water after toilet visits and before preparing or eating food;
• Cook all shellfish thoroughly before eating;
• Wash raw vegetables before eating;
• Dispose of sewage in a sanitary manner;
• Food handlers with symptoms of Norwalk-like illness should not prepare or touch food.