C. difficile
C. dif outbreak in Burlington over
June 25, 2008
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THE CANADIAN PRESS
BURLINGTON, Ont. – The outbreak of a deadly bacteria that killed 62 patients at Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital has officially been declared over.
Hospital CEO and president Don Scott says the number of C. difficile cases has been consistently low – zero to five cases – over the last six months.
The are currently two active cases of C. difficile in the hospital.
The Joseph Brant outbreak was one of at least 22 that swept through Ontario hospitals in 19 months.
At least 264 people died from C. difficile at seven of those hospitals.
Scott says the hospital is pleased it can declare the outbreak over.
"We were able to get it under control fairly quickly," Scott said.
Lisa Fortuna, manager of enteric and vector borne diseases with the Halton public health department, said in declaring the outbreak over they followed guidelines from the Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee.
The guidelines state numbers must be consistently low over a four to six month period.
An outbreak is declared when numbers go above the baseline and when patient-to-patient transmission can be proven, said Fortuna.
Fortuna said public health will continue to maintain contact with the hospital through their monthly infection control meetings.
Meanwhile, the number of patients infected in a C. difficile outbreak at the Hamilton General Hospital has increased from five to six.
The strain entered the hospital by a patient who was transferred to the hospital from Welland, Ont.
Medical microbiologist Dr. Fiona Smaill said one of the seven patients they were monitoring who had contact with the original patient has been added to the list.
Smaill said none of the patients has shown the severe symptoms of C. difficile.
In fact one patient was well enough to be discharged.
Smaill added that surgery was not a factor in how the strain was transmitted.
"It is definitely C. diff but we don't know if it's the same virulent strain as Jo Brant," said Smaill.
Smaill said they are closely monitoring another six patients who had contact with the infected patient in the cardiac post-surgery ward and cardiac intensive care unit.
Hamilton Spectator