Those who catch the bug are advised to have plenty of non-alcoholic, non-milky drinks and also take oral rehydration solutions.

BBC: 'One in five' struck by norovirus in Scotland, say experts

But as a broken Ireland seeks help and a shaky Portugal puts Iberia in the spotlight (not least because Spanish banks are heavily exposed to Portugal), there are understandable fears that Spain will catch the bug next.

ECONOMIST: The euro crisis

Only then did she catch the computing bug, enrolling in 1986 at the University of California at Berkeley to study computer science.

ECONOMIST: Face value

"I hate football with every bone in my body, " said Blessed, an Accra taxi driver, who vowed never to catch the Nations Cup bug.

BBC: Ghana embraces Nations Cup fever