Virus outbreak closes second LGH unit

BY ANDY BLATCHFORD

andy.blatchford@transcontinental.ca

A second wing of the Lakeshore General Hospital has been closed due to an outbreak of gastroenteritis less than a week after the illness spurred the closure of the geriatric unit.

Yesterday, 34 patients suffering from the Norwalk-like virus symptoms, which include violent diarrhea and vomiting, were in isolation and being monitored closely, according to hospital spokesman Louis-Pascal Cyr.

Last week, as many as 35 people were feeling the effects of the illness, but its presence was “on the wane� by Friday, Cyr said.

However, weekend visitors may have given it a boost.

The disease forced the closure of the Pointe Claire institution’s long-term care unit, Four South, where 18 people were still showing symptoms yesterday, he said. Four South is operated like a Centre d’hébergement et de soins de longue durée (CHSLD), where residents socialize more, thus increasing the chance of contamination, he said.

On Dec. 3, the Three North geriatric wing was shut off from new admissions and visitors after several patients showed symptoms of the virus. Yesterday, there were still eight gastroenteritis cases in the unit, which had up to 17 cases last week, he said.

Six patients with signs of the virus were isolated in medicine beds, one was in obstetrics and another in the intensive-care unit yesterday, Cyr said. Until patients have three symptom-free days, they will remain in isolation. Hospital employees believe the new cases did not spread within the hospital and likely came from outside, Cyr said.

“When you have a situation like that where you see (the virus) is in a couple of different units, that’s a good sign usually that it’s coming in from the community,� he told The Chronicle. “Because we haven’t had any new admissions in the past few days, it’s probably somebody from the outside who brought it in. There are so many cases in the community right now.

“The disease is known to be extremely contagious, so it does not take long before it spreads with a clientele that is maybe a little more fragile, like the elderly.�

Cyr said gastroenteritis is not life-threatening, but can cause dehydration. Call Info-santé at 514-697-4110 or 514-626-2572 before heading to the hospital or a clinic.