A ward at a Highland hospital has reopened to patients following a norovirus outbreak.

Ward 2A at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness was closed on February 25 after patients were found to be suffering from the vomiting bug.

It is the last of four wards to reopen after the outbreak, which affected 47 patients in total.

NHS Highland confirmed Ward 2A is now open to admissions and visitors after being deep-cleaned.

Iona McGauran, lead nurse for Raigmore, praised staff and the public for their response to the outbreak.

She said: "Our staff have worked incredibly hard during this time in not only looking after patients but also in getting the wards deep cleaned and ready for reopening.

"I’d also like to thank the public for their cooperation during this time. It’s never an easy decision to make when we ask visitors to stay away but doing this not only helped protect the privacy and dignity of our patients but also kept the virus as contained as possible.

"However, we know that norovirus is still active in the community and we would ask that if you, or someone you live with, has had symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting you refrain from coming to the hospital until clear for 72 hours."

NHS Highland was forced to close four wards at the hospital for a week in April last year after 51 patients caught the virus.