Respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital- total 10 deaths

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Nine die in respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital

Re: Nine die in respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital

Update on Glengarry Respiratory Illness
April 30, 2010

VICTORIA ? The Vancouver Island Health Authority reports today that there are no new cases of respiratory illness on the Chandler Unit at Glengarry Hospital. Residents on Chandler who were experiencing symptoms earlier in the week have now recovered or are recovering.

There have been three staff members who have reported respiratory symptoms in recent days. These individuals are being evaluated further to determine if their symptoms are in any way related to the outbreak. VIHA continues to actively work with all staff at the site to seek out symptoms and investigate possible causes. Staff sick calls at Glengarry currently are in line with the usual volume of sick calls for this time of year.

In addition, VIHA is monitoring three residents on the Fairfield Unit at Glengarry Hospital who are exhibiting some respiratory symptoms. Tests are underway to determine if these are illnesses are related to the outbreak on the Chandler Unit. Heightened infection control measures are in place.

All lab results to date have been negative or inconclusive with some tests and special investigations pending. We now anticipate further test results from the BC Centre for Disease Control early next week.

Environmental swabs have been done of ventilation and water systems, and results are negative.

VIHA continues to remind staff and visitors to stay home if they are ill and to wash their hands to help prevent the spread of illness.

? 30 ?

Media Contact:
Shannon Marshall
VIHA Communications
250-370-8270

Note to newsrooms: For urgent media inquiries off-hours, call our emergency pager at (250) 389-7317

http://www.viha.ca/about_viha/news/news_releases/glengarry_update.htm

 

[alert]

Re: Nine die in respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital

Re: Nine die in respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital

http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/victorianews/news/92721794.html

Tenth patient dies at Glengarry Hospital
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Victoria News
Tenth patient dies at Glengarry Hospital
Respiratory outbreak causes nine deaths in Victoria
Former city councillor dies
Coroner probes hospital death
Text By Roszan Holmen - Victoria News


Published: May 03, 2010 4:00 PM
Updated: May 03, 2010 4:21 PM

0 Comments A mysterious respiratory illness has claimed another life at Glengarry Hospital.

By last week, the unidentified outbreak had infected 19 people and caused the deaths of nine patients, all within one wing.

The outbreak spread to another unit by Friday, infecting two more patients.

?One of those residents has recovered, and sadly, one of those residents has passed away,? said Shannon Marshall, spokesperson with the Vancouver Island Health Authority. ?He was very ill to start with.?

The 10 residents who died were between the ages of 81 and 97.

Three staff have also fallen ill but are recovering at home.

VIHA has implemented restrictions on visiting the hospital and advises anyone feeling ill to stay away.

 

[alert]

Re: Respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital- total 10 deaths

edit

http://www.timescolonist.com/life/Tenth+patient+dies+Glengarry+Hospital/2983841/story.html


Tenth patient dies at Glengarry Hospital
By Richard Watts, Times Colonist May 4, 2010 1:13 AM One more frail, elderly person has died of the mysterious respiratory illness laying siege to Victoria's Glengarry Hospital.

Vancouver Island Health Authority reported one person died Saturday as a result of the illness. The victim was one of three new cases revealed late last week on the Fairfield unit of the hospital.

Late last week, three staff members also came down with the illness.

Until then, the illness appeared to be restricted to the 70-bed Chandler unit of the 140-bed hospital. The Glengarry, on Fairfield Road, provides extended care to mostly elderly patients.

Initially, it appeared that 20 patients in the Chandler unit had fallen ill and nine had died. The people infected ranged in age from 81 to 97. Five of the dead were palliative-care patients.

Investigations and lab tests are continuing in an effort to identify the illness, which in its initial stages resembles a common cold with such symptoms as runny noses, coughing, chest congestion, feeling unwell and fever.

Tests have ruled out the A, B and H1N1 influenza strains as well as legionnaire's disease.

Until the outbreak is declared over, health officials are warning friends and family to stay away for now. If they must visit, they should be prepared to take extra precautions, like wearing a mask, a hospital gown and washing hands on entering and leaving the facility


Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/life/T...rry+Hospital/2983841/story.html#ixzz0mxQxDlgK

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital- total 10 deaths

Vancouver Island Health Authority has announced a respiratory outbreak at Central Care Home - an assisted living community around 2 miles from Glengarry hospital. May or may not be related.

Facility Name Date Started Agent Status Notes
CENTRAL CARE HOME 2-May-2010 Tests Pending Respiratory or Influenza-like illness

http://www.healthspace.ca/Clients/VIHA/VIHA_Website.nsf/Outbreak?OpenView&Count=1000

Info on Central Care Home:
Central Care Home
844 Johnson Street,
Victoria, BC V8W 1N3
250.384.1313
Contact Us

Centrally located in downtown Victoria, Central Care Home offers residents the support they need in a private room, care community.

This property was built in 1979, and offers 146 private rooms.

Private Rooms & Amenities:

?Each room is furnished, and residents / families are welcome to work with our staff (within space and care requirements) to personalize the room.
?Private bath, bed, bedside table, lamp, dresser with locking drawer and two chairs.
?A cable TV outlet, phone jack and a call bell system are installed in each room.
?Secure patio, resident lounges, recreation room, hair salon, weekly tuck shop service.
Care:

?Our staff provides 24 hour per day assistance to residents to ensure their care needs are met, according to their individualized resident care plans.
?We work in partnership with outside health service providers such as family physicians, physiotherapists, dental and acute care hospital admissions as required.
?Our dieticians plan balanced, nutritional meals, which are supplemented by snacks of beverages, fruit, and baking throughout the day.
?For personal travel needs and outside medical appointments, Handi-Dart, city bus service, and taxis are available.
Social Activities:

?Our Activation team offers a full program of social and recreational activities including guest musicians and artists, field trips by bus, and parties commemorating special events.
?Games, exercises to music, hobbies and other skills are encouraged as part of the weekly calendar of events.
?Interdenominational services are offered by our Chaplain, and include worship and a weekly Bible Fellowship Hour.

Availability:

?As a licensed care facility, admissions are initiated by Vancouver Island Health Authority's (VIHA) long term care personnel. For information on long term care call VIHA at 250-388-2300.
http://www.baptisthousing.org/qry/page.taf?id=40

 

[alert]

Re: Respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital- total 10 deaths

Note the mention of an "excluded case". In the absence of a confirmed etiology, it is difficult to imagine what might result in the exclusion of a case. One suspects it might be the identification of some other etiology, but at this point, such an excluded etiology could easily be the culprit in the main outbreak.

Actually, careful case counting indicates that there might have been two excluded cases, as some articles have spoken of as many as 23 ill residents. It is also possible that there was a double counting.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...dMail-Front+(The+Globe+and+Mail+-+Latest+News)

A 10th person has died in an outbreak of an unidentified respiratory illness at Glengarry Hospital, a residential care home in Victoria.

An elderly man died over the weekend after having been identified as displaying symptoms consistent with the outbreak, Vancouver Island Health Authority spokeswoman Shannon Marshall said Monday.

The man was among three hospital residents that VIHA had been monitoring for respiratory symptoms late last week. Of those three people, one turned out not to have the illness and another has recovered.

The man who died “was a very frail and elderly gentleman who’d had some challenges in aspirating in recent weeks,” Ms. Marshall said.

All 10 people who died in the outbreak were frail and elderly, ranging in age from 81 to 97, and several had dementia.

VIHA announced the outbreak April 22. Some patients had been having respiratory problems, such as coughing and runny noses, since the end of March. But those symptoms at first seemed connected to a norovirus outbreak at the facility that was identified at the beginning of April. After an increase in the number of cases, and several deaths, VIHA announced the respiratory illness outbreak.

To date, the outbreak has affected 21 residents. While 10 have died, the rest are “resolved or improving,” Ms. Marshall said. Three staff members have also been confirmed as meeting the case definition for the outbreak.

“There are a number of viruses circulating in the community, with respiratory illnesses, and while most of those wouldn’t cause any sort of serious illness in healthy adults, they can have a serious impact on frail, elderly people, as we’ve seen in this outbreak,” Ms. Marshall said. “So it’s important to remind people that if they are ill, they should not visit people in acute or residential care sites.”

As a result of the outbreak, VIHA has imposed visiting restrictions and taken other steps to try to limit the spread of the illness, such as closing a common dining area and serving residents meals in their rooms. Most people in the facility are in shared, four-person rooms. Added cleaning measures are in place and the facility is not admitting any new residents.

The residents who have died in the outbreak all had “multiple medical challenges,” VIHA says, and several had been receiving palliative care. Medical reviews are under way to determine how or whether the respiratory condition may have contributed to the deaths.

Laboratory tests at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control have not yet confirmed the organism involved in the respiratory condition, but influenza A and B and H1N1 have been ruled out.

 

[alert]

Re: Respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital- total 10 deaths

This is from the BC CDC virus surveillance update, as far as what is circulating.

The coronavirus mentioned is almost certainly one of the normal human seasonal coronaviruses, and not (I hope!!!) the SARS virus.

http://www.bccdc.ca/NR/rdonlyres/9B...7/0/InfluBulletin_Number26_Weeks1416_0910.pdf

n weeks 14-16, of 412 specimens tested for other respiratory viruses, 60 (15%) tested positive for rhino/enterovirus, 59 (14%) for RSV, 49 (12%) for human metapneumovirus, 9 (2%) for coronavirus, 7 (2%) for parainfluenza, 5 (1%) for human bocavirus, and 4 (1%) for adenovirus.

[snip]

No lab-confirmed influenza outbreaks were reported in facilities in BC during weeks 14-16. Other viruses detected in LTCF respiratory outbreak investigations in recent weeks include human metapneumovirus, rhino/enterovirus, and RSV. Two ILI outbreaks were reported in schools during weeks 14-16 (1 in NHA in week 14, and 1 in IHA in week 15). Note that reports of school ILI outbreaks are based on symptoms, do not require laboratory confirmation, and may therefore reflect illness due to other unidentified respiratory viruses or other causes

 

[alert]

Re: Respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital- total 10 deaths

(I believe) - edit- the red statement is not right - (I believe) - edit - this has been going on for far longer than a week.

http://www.cfax1070.com/newsstory.php?newsId=13468

SITUATION IMPROVING AT GLENGARRY HOSPITAL
May 4, 2010

THE VANCOUVER ISLAND HEALTH AUTHORITY SAYS THERE HAVE BEEN NO NEW CASES OF RESPIRATORY ILLNESS REPORTED AT GLENGARRY HOSPITAL SINCE LAST THURSDAY

VIHA SPOKESPERSON SHANNON MARSHALL SAYS VERY STRINGENT INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL PROTOCOL HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED AT GLENGARRY SINCE THE OUTBREAK

"everyone is on droplet precautions, we are limiting contact between residents, we have closed the dining rooms, and we are serving meals to residents in their rooms, we have restricted visitors to one family member per resident and also making sure that visitors only visit one person at a time"

10 GLENGARRY PATIENTS HAVE PASSED AWAY SINCE THE ILLNESS'S FIRST OUTBREAK ONE WEEK AGO

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital- total 10 deaths

Source: http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_hea...s_id=30759&news_channel_id=131&channel_id=131

Respiratory outbreak that killed 10 seniors in Victoria care home declared over
Provided by: Canadian Press
Written by: The Canadian Press
May. 5, 2010

VICTORIA - Health officials have declared an end to a disease outbreak that killed 10 seniors at a care home in Victoria.

The Vancouver Island Health Authority says it's contained a respiratory illness and a Norovirus that appeared at Glengarry Hospital, which cares for extremely old and frail patients...

 

[alert]

Re: Respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital- total 10 deaths

http://www.timescolonist.com/health...ction+other+remains+closed/2993038/story.html


Glengarry Hospital re-opens one unit after fatal infection, other remains closed
Times Colonist May 6, 2010 6:43 AM Visitors can return to the Chandler wing of Glengarry Hospital, the Victoria extended-care hospital previously plagued by a mysterious respiratory infection.

But the Glengarry's other wing, the Fairfield Unit, has been placed on outbreak status, although it is being reviewed daily. Yesterday, the Vancouver Island Health Authority declared an end to two outbreaks in the

70-bed Chandler unit: the respiratory infection and an earlier outbreak of the gastro-intestinal illness norovirus.

Ten patients, all of them frail and elderly and five in palliative care, have died from the respiratory illness, the cause of which is still under investigation. VIHA says 21 residents of the 140-bed extended-care hospital on Fairfield Road have fallen ill, 19 at the Chandler Unit and two at the Fairfield Unit.

Three staff members have also become sick since the outbreak was declared April 29.

? Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist

Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/health...mains+closed/2993038/story.html#ixzz0nABh0INW

 

[alert]

Re: Respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital- total 10 deaths

Not that it is necessarily related, but another new nursing home has been added to the list of respiratory outbreaks, and the Glengarry Hospital has been removed.

http://www.healthspace.ca/Clients/VIHA/VIHA_Website.nsf/Outbreak?OpenView&Count=1000

Facility Name Date Started Agent Status Notes
CAIRNSMORE PLACE 5-May-2010 Tests Pending Respiratory or Influenza-like illness
CENTRAL CARE HOME 2-May-2010 Tests Pending Respiratory or Influenza-like illness
MALASPINA GARDENS 3-May-2010 Tests Pending Gastrointestinal or Norovirus-like illness
NANAIMO REGIONAL GENERAL HOSPITAL 29-Mar-2010 Clostridium Difficile Clostridium Difficile
NANAIMO REGIONAL GENERAL HOSPITAL 3-May-2010 Tests Pending Gastrointestinal or Norovirus-like illness

 

[alert]

Re: Respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital- total 10 deaths

The respiratory outbreak in the "Central Care Home" has now been removed from the list below.

http://www.healthspace.ca/Clients/VIHA/VIHA_Website.nsf/Outbreak?OpenView&Count=1000


Facility Name Date Started Agent Status Notes
CAIRNSMORE PLACE 5-May-2010 Tests Pending Respiratory or Influenza-like illness
MALASPINA GARDENS 3-May-2010 Tests Pending Gastrointestinal or Norovirus-like illness
NANAIMO REGIONAL GENERAL HOSPITAL 29-Mar-2010 Clostridium Difficile Clostridium Difficile
NANAIMO REGIONAL GENERAL HOSPITAL 3-May-2010 Tests Pending Gastrointestinal or Norovirus-like illness

 

[alert]

Re: Respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital- total 10 deaths

This is a little more about one of the residents who became ill, but recovered. According to the rest of the article, this patient is 35 years old, but in a permanent coma as a result of a bullet wound.

http://www.timescolonist.com/life/S...icer+coma+since+1987+crash/3005370/story.html

[snip]


Now: Jordan never recovered from his injuries. He is in the Chandler Unit at Glengarry Hospital, a unit where 10 patients recently died from an unspecified respiratory illness. Jordan also became ill, but recovered. He remains in a coma that is sometimes marked by interludes of unconscious wakefulness

Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/life/S...e+1987+crash/3005370/story.html#ixzz0nRqvO8gi

 

[alert]

Re: Respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital- total 10 deaths

Given the date of death, this is either the tenth fatality in the outbreak, or an unrelated fatality in the home.

http://www.saskobits.com/noticeListing.do?type=obituaries&page=4

Clarke, Wallace
Published: 2010-05-05


Wallace Beattie Clarke Victoria, BC Wally Clarke passed away peacefully at age 91, on Sunday, May 2, 2010 at Glengarry Hospital in Victoria B.C. with his family at his side.

[snip]

 

[alert]

Re: Respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital- total 10 deaths

We may never know that this was. It looks like after ruling out flu and Legionella (although see an above comment about Legionella still technically being possible) they gave up on testing. Could have been some other seasonal pathogen, or could have been some kind of bacteria in the home (Mycoplasma? Chlamydia? Klebsiella?).

http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/victorianews/news/93333779.html

Glengarry Hospital reopens

By Vivian Moreau - Oak Bay News
Published: May 10, 2010 4:00 PM
Updated: May 10, 2010 4:54 PM
Friends and family of patients at Glengarry Hospital, as well as volunteers, were cleared to return to the Fairfield Road facility on Monday.

An as-yet unidentified respiratory illness, which the Vancouver Island Health Authority says killed 10 patients and caused 11 others to fall ill, had prompted a visiting ban to be instated two weeks ago.

Tests sent to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control did not identify the respiratory illness.

?But we know what it isn?t,? said VIHA spokesperson Shannon Marshall. ?It?s not influenza A (a group of viruses which would include H1N1) or B and it?s not Legionnaires? disease.?

The 10 residents who died were between the ages of 81 and 97. Three health-care workers also came down with the illness, but recovered.

The facility was allowed to reopen after being symptom free for five days.

vmoreau@oakbaynews.com

 

[alert]

Re: Respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital- total 10 deaths

http://www.cfax1070.com/newsstory.php?newsId=13554

HEALTH AUTHORITY STILL DOESN'T KNOW CAUSE OF ILLNESS THAT KILLED 10 AT GLENGARRY HOSPITAL
May 11, 2010

THE VANCOUVER ISLAND HEALTH AUTHORITY STILL DOESN'T KNOW WHAT CAUSED THE RESPIRATORY ILLNESS OUTBREAK THAT TOOK THE LIVES OF 10 PEOPLE AT GLENGARRY HOSPITAL ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO

VIHA'S ASSOCIATE MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF INFECTION PREVENTION DAVID FORREST SAYS THEY MAY NEVER KNOW

"in terms of what exactly caused this, I don't know that we are going to get any answers. BC CDC certainly did a very thorough and intensive investigation. Much more so than would ordinarily be the case, because of course the high number of cases or patients that have died, but a cause has not been identified"

FORREST SAYS THERE HAVE BEEN NO CASES OF ILLNESS NOW FOR ABOUT 10 DAYS

FORREST WAS SPEAKING ON CFAX 1070 WITH AL FERRABY TUESDSAY MORNING

 

[alert]

Re: Respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital- total 10 deaths

The outbreak at Cairnsmore Place is now listed as "confirmed". It would be nice if we knew what was confirmed, but since the only etiology listed is influenza, my guess is that's what was confirmed there (and then most flu is H1N1), so that outbreak is likely not related to Glengarry Hospital either.

http://www.healthspace.ca/Clients/VIHA/VIHA_Website.nsf/Outbreak?OpenView&Count=1000

Active Outbreak List
The Active Outbreak List is updated daily, Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays. When an outbreak is declared over, the facility is removed from the list. Find out more about active outbreaks here.

Outbreak Information: www.viha.ca/mho/public_health_alerts/active_outbreak_list.htm
As of:12-May-2010 @ 01:06 PM PST



Facility Name Date Started Agent Status Notes
CAIRNSMORE PLACE 5-May-2010 Tests Confirmed Respiratory or Influenza-like illness
COWICHAN DISTRICT HOSPITAL 7-May-2010 Norovirus Gastrointestinal or Norovirus-like illness
MALASPINA GARDENS 3-May-2010 Norovirus Gastrointestinal or Norovirus-like illness
NANAIMO REGIONAL GENERAL HOSPITAL 29-Mar-2010 Clostridium Difficile Clostridium Difficile
NANAIMO REGIONAL GENERAL HOSPITAL 3-May-2010 Tests Confirmed Gastrointestinal or Norovirus-like illness
Facility contact information: http://www.viha.ca/finding_care/facilities/
For more information, please visit: www.viha.ca/mho/public_health_alerts/active_outbreak_list.htm

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital- total 10 deaths

Source: http://www.theprovince.com/health/Fatal+outbreak+ends/3026738/story.html

Fatal outbreak ends
The Province; News Services May 14, 2010 1:26 AM


Visitors can return to Victoria's Glengarry Hospital now that the outbreak status has been lifted, but the cause of the respiratory illness that killed 10 remains unknown.

Shannon Marshall, spokeswoman for the Vancouver Island Health Authority, said Thursday no new cases of the illness have appeared this month and the outbreak status was lifted last week.

A total of 21 patients fell ill and 10 died during the outbreak. Three staff members were also infected.

All the infected patients were elderly and frail, while five of those who died were in palliative care...

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/health/Fatal+outbreak+ends/3026738/story.html#ixzz0nu4dxdIP

 

[alert]

Re: Respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital- total 10 deaths

http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Health+officials+issue+call+contract+cleaners/3046108/story.html


Health officials issue call for new contract cleaners
Times Colonist; Canwest News Service May 19, 2010 6:04 AM Comments (7)
The Vancouver Island Health Authority is looking for alternatives to a private company that provides housekeeping and food services for south Island hospitals and residential-care facilities.

Compass Group Canada has held the contracts for the past six years, and saw its agreement renewed last year for five, despite being dogged in recent years by regular infection outbreaks, failed housekeeping audits and damaging WorkSafe B.C. inspections.

Compass subsidiaries provide housekeeping services for 13 facilities on the south Island and food services for nine. Affected institutions include Victoria General, Royal Jubilee and Saanich Peninsula hospitals.

The company also provides services at Glengarry Hospital, which recently saw an outbreak of a mysterious respiratory infection, and Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, where Compass was rapped by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control last year for its response to a C. difficile outbreak that killed three people.

VIHA spokeswoman Suzanne Germain said issuing the request for proposals has been discussed since 2009 and is not in response to the Glengarry outbreak or any other outbreaks.

The contract with Compass has an opt-out clause, said Germain. "We are testing the market to ensure we're getting value for money, and enhanced quality of service."

Asked whether VIHA is unhappy with Compass's performance, Germain said, "We believe that there can be improvements made."

The health authority says any change in service would not take effect until next year.

WorkSafe B.C. issued eight orders against Compass Group last spring and summer for failing to train its staff properly and doing a poor job of investigating workplace accidents at Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals. The reports cited Compass for neglecting to provide cleaning staff with adequate training and supervision in use of a disinfectant solution to combat C. difficile.

B.C. health critic Adrian Dix wants the provincial government to bring housekeeping back into the public fold, arguing cleaning standards have declined since the Liberals contracted out the work in 2004.

The move saw more than 1,000 hospital employees laid off and wages fall from $19 per hour to about $10 per hour as VIHA cut approximately $10 million from its annual expenses.

Regular infection outbreaks at the Nanaimo hospital illustrate the deterioration of housekeeping services, Dix said.

"Surely, this is the time to review the whole privatization plan and cleaning standards and bring them back in-house," he said. "It's clearly not working."

Joe Murphy, VIHA vice-president of operations and support services, said reverting to in-house cleaners is not an option "at this point," but a company that provided consistency in service would benefit patient care.

Nurses want more cleaners because they often wait to move patients while "overworked" housekeeping staff play catch-up, according to Jo Taylor, Pacific Rim representative for the B.C. Nurses' Union.

Compass Group representatives say they respect VIHA's decision to "test the market" for improved and more cost-efficient service.

? Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/health/...act+cleaners/3046108/story.html#ixzz0oOcnqQw8

 

[tropical]

Re: Respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital- total 10 deaths

news text #38:
"said reverting to in-house cleaners is not an option "at this point,""



"not an option",
after 10 death events there at B.C. ...
and
#38: "its agreement renewed last year for five, despite being dogged in recent years by regular infection outbreaks, failed housekeeping audits and damaging WorkSafe B.C. inspections"

:bat:

maybe damage reimbursement actions could push there again the in-house cleaners option ...

 

[alert]

Re: Respiratory outbreak at B.C. hospital- total 10 deaths

Holy moly. And this outbreak gets removed from the "unresolved" list. It seems like a lot of aspirations (about one in seven residents in the home appear to have aspirated that month); perhaps some outside cause such as improperly administered fluids was to blame.

The presence of norovirus could be related to this outbreak - perhaps fluids would be pushed to rehydrate vomitting patients. It is also possible to aspirate on one's own vomit.

I am not quite sure what sickened the three HCW (allergies?) though.

http://www.cfax1070.com/newsstory.php?newsId=14675

SEARCH FOR FATAL VIRUS AT SENIORS' HOME COMES UP EMPTY
Aug 6, 2010

EXHAUSTIVE TESTING HAS CONCLUDED THERE WAS NO VIRAL DISEASE OUTBREAK, THAT KILLED A NUMBER OF RESIDENTS OF GLENGARRY HOSPITAL IN VICTORIA THIS PAST APRIL AND MAY.

THE VANCOUVER ISLAND HEALTH AUTHORITY AND THE B-C CENTRE FOR DISEASE CONTROL HAVE TRIED TO PIN DOWN A SINGLE CAUSE, AND CONCLUDED THERE LIKELY WASN'T ONE.

TEN ELDERLY RESIDENTS PERISHED IN AN UNUSUALLY SHORT PERIOD, AFTER SHOWING RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS. VIHA SAYS THEY APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN COINCIDENTAL CASES OF ASPIRATION PNEUMONIA