Both inpatient wards at Belford Hospital in Fort William are now closed to new admissions and visitors are being asked to stay away due to the winter vomiting bug outbreak.
Ward 1, which is a medical ward, was closed yesterday after four patients developed diarrhoea and vomiting.
And the combined assessment unit at the Lochaber hospital has been closed today after eight patients developed symptoms.
NHS Highland has confirmed that samples have shown that norovirus – also known as the winter vomiting bug – is present in both wards.
The virus, which causes diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, spreads in the air where someone has had diarrhoea or vomited and is extremely infectious.
Rural general hospital manager, Marie Law, said: “By closing our wards to new admissions and restricting visiting to the affected areas, it helps our staff protect the health, privacy and dignity of our patients.
“Any patient in the area who requires hospital admission will be assessed and, if required, redirected to either Inverness or Oban.”
She added that renal dialysis and chemotherapy services were running as planned, but said anyone with an appointment, who has been ill with diarrhoea or vomiting in the previous 48 hours, or lives with someone with these symptoms, should call the hospital before attending.
Visitors are also being asked to stay away, but can phone the hospital for updates on their relatives.