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Health bosses have temporarily closed a Cumbria hospital unit to new admissions after a flu outbreak.

Visits to the Copeland Unit at the West Cumberland Hospital, in Whitehaven, have also been restricted.

Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said 12 patients and six members of staff had symptoms

It hopes closing the unit, which is for patients who have been in hospital and need more care before being discharged, will stop it spreading further.

The trust said all patients and vulnerable staff groups had been offered the anti-viral drug Tamiflu.

Cumbria Partnership deputy director of operations Joanna Forster Adams said: "We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

"However this temporary closure to admissions will allow us to deal with the outbreak effectively and ensure patient safety."