Visitation restrictions lifted

The gastro-intestinal outbreak that forced visitor restriction at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences centre is now over.

Nine patients on the 2C Unit of the hospital displayed symptoms of the illness that was first noted this weekend. While the restriction on visitation has been lifted, the Health Unit is still requesting that anyone who has been feeling unwell to wait until they have recovered before visiting friends or relatives at the hospital.

Hospital vice-president Lori Marshall, who oversees patient care, on Monday said the Thunder Bay District Health Unit called the outbreak on Saturday, which forced them to take precautionary measures.

Marshall said at that time that it didn’t appear the infection, which causes diarrhea in most afflicted patients, has spread throughout the hospital.

"We declared an outbreak on 2C, which is one of our medical units. So this is really restricted to one unit at the hospital, not across the hospital," Marshall said.

"At this stage we continue to have about nine patients who are in isolation. We haven’t had any new cases. What’s helping us too, we believe, to contain that is that we are in fact limiting the amount of traffic in an out of that unit."

Following the outbreak, the hospital put protocols in place surrounding staff who might be exhibiting symptoms of the disease, and have asked them to stay home if they display signs of the illness.

Marshall said Monday that the absence of new cases gave hospital officials hope the isolation can end on Tuesday, or 72 hours after the problem was first identified.