New Brunswick doctors say outbreaks of the Norwalk virus, or Norovirus, seem to be peaking this year, and it's replacing influenza as the more common winter bug.

This week, St. Joseph's Hospital in Saint John had to shut down its seventh floor to outside residents due to several new cases of the virus — known commonly as stomach flu — which has been running rampant in hospitals and nursing homes all over the province for the past three months.

Saint John resident Debbie Donaldson says most of her family became violently ill with a Norwalk-like virus over the Christmas break.

"It was so violent that the little muscles between my ribs were so sore that it hurt to breathe the next day," Donaldson said. She says it took several days for her to recover from the illness.

Judith Rau, regional co-ordinator for infection prevention and control for the Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation, says the Norovirus is more prevalent this year, so much so that's it's replaced the regular flu outbreaks.

"Every once in a while you get an organism, such as Norovirus, that gives you a little bit more issue," Rau said. "Usually it's influenza, and you get at a higher percentage of influenza every once in a while, and so we're seeing that with Norovirus."