Hospital officials hope the worst of an outbreak on two of its floors is over.
Around five of the 78 patients at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre’s surgical inpatient floors are suffering from C. Difficile. Staff first noted symptoms Friday.
“We stopped it quite quickly, contained it to these two inpatient units,” hospital infection control and risk management manager Hilary McIver said.
The patients have been isolated and any staff or visitors to their rooms are required to wear caps, gowns and other protective gear. McIver said cases do pop up sporadically at the hospital but this is the first outbreak since 2010. Any patient that has symptoms, most notably diarrhea, is being tested.
“We could have more numbers,” McIver said. “We’re hoping not because we’re aware of it and we’ve put measures in place.”
The most important way to stop the spread is for anyone at the hospital to wash their hands with soap and warm water.
McIver said there’s no reason to think the outbreak will affect other areas of the hospital though.
