A sickness outbreak sweeping the West Midlands has closed a total of seven schools, resulting in hundreds of children being kept off lessons.
Four of the schools, all of them primary, remained closed yesterday as children were hit by vomiting, diarrhoea, and high temperatures.
It was also revealed that a pupil at a Birmingham primary school has been admitted to hospital as the virulent bug continues to bite.
The four schools still shut yesterday were Mansfield Green Primary in Aston, Hamstead Junior in Great Barr, Moat Farm Infants in Oldbury and Annie Lennard Infants in Smethwick. Three other schools in Birmingham re-opened after being hit by the same outbreak.
Braidwood School for hearing impaired children in Hodge Hill was forced to close for five days, while Montgomery Primary in Spark-brook and part of Perry Common Junior and Infants, Erdington, were closed for 24 hours.
A Sandwell Council spokesman said 70 children at Moat Farm and 60 pupils at Annie Lennard had been affected by the sickness.
The West Midlands Health Protection Agency said schools were suffering from a double dose of Norovirus, which causes sickness and diarrhoea, and Influenza B.
