The world’s first vaccine for norovirus is due to enter its final stages of testing within the next few weeks.

Experts believe this new mRNA vaccine from Moderna could stop people developing the nasty virus, which is linked to around 12,000 hospital admissions in the UK every year.

Commenting on this progress, health and social care secretary, Wes Streeting said: “A successful vaccine will help shift our health system away from sickness and towards prevention – reducing pressure on the NHS and keeping people well during the colder months.”

The jab uses mRNA technology to tell the immune system to recognise a “foreign” protein on viruses and mount an attack, in this case targeting three major strains of norovirus.