Gastro outbreak at RVH's geriatric unit

A gastrointestinal outbreak has been contained to the Geriatrics Inpatient Unit at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre.

The hospital, in consultation with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, confirmed the outbreak Friday afternoon and restriced access to the unit. No new patients will be admitted to the unit and no patients from the unit will be transferred to other areas of the hospital.

“At RVH, patient safety is our top priority and we have put immediate measures in place to reduce any further spread of gastroenteritis including isolating patients, enhancing cleaning of the unit and not admitting any new patients to the unit,” says Treva McCumber, vice president, Transitions, Diagnostics & chief nursing executive. “We will be monitoring the situation closely over the weekend and remind people that if they are not feeling well, to not visit a patient in the health centre.”

As gastroenteritis is highly contagious, there will be some visitor restrictions to that unit including limiting the number of visitors and ensuring proper hand hygiene when entering and exiting the unit. Patients and family members have been notified of these restrictions.

Visitation throughout the rest of the hospital is not affected, however, all visitors must use the hand sanitizer upon entering and exiting the building.

Most people with gastroenteritis will experience one to three days of nausea, vomiting, cramps and diarrhea. Severe illness or hospitalization caused by gastroenteritis is uncommon, however the infection may be more severe in older individuals, young children or those with existing medical conditions. 

The single most important preventative measure that can be taken to reduce the spread of gastroenteritis is to frequently and thoroughly wash your hands.