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May 31, 2010
NANAIMO – The Vancouver Island Health Authority’s Infection Prevention and Control Program has declared that the Norovirus outbreak at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital is over as of 10:00 p.m. May 28, 2010.
The outbreak was called earlier this month on some floors, and was declared a hospital wide outbreak on May 14, 2010. A total of 36 patients and several staff members were affected. An outbreak is called when within a given period of time 3 or more people on a unit have symptoms that meet the case definition for norovirus. It can be declared over when the site has gone 96 hours from the last symptom in patients.
This highly contagious virus is still circulating in the community and is not confined to a hospital or institution and can be transmitted in settings such as home, the workplace, or social gatherings.
People who develop gastrointestinal symptoms should not visit anyone in the hospital and should remain home for at least 48 hours after their symptoms have resolved.
The hospital has not yet declared the current Clostridium Difficile (C. difficile) outbreak over although the illness has settled with only one new transmission this week, and six people currently in hospital with symptoms. The C. difficile outbreak was declared on March 29, 2010. Infection Prevention and Control Program staff continue to monitor the number of cases and VIHA will announce when the outbreak is officially declared over.
To see active outbreak sites visit:
http://www.viha.ca/mho/public_health_alerts/active_outbreak_list.htm
For more information about Norovirus, please refer to the BC Health Guide Health Files at www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthfiles/
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Media Contact:
Anya Nimmon
VIHA Communications
250-740-6980 |
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