Flu outbreak at Stratford General Hospital has hit 10 patients
Posted Feb 17, 2018 10:19:08 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Stratford General Hospital has been hit with an outbreak of Influenza-A and -B, forcing visitor restrictions.
Anne Campbell, VP Partnerships and Chief Nurse Executive for the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance, tells 570 NEWS the count was up to 10 patients affected, as of Friday.
She says the outbreak has hit the Medicine and Integrated Stroke Units, which are now closed to new admissions.
But visitors can still come see the patients already there, but only under certain conditions.
Campbell says anyone who is sick is encouraged to stay away.
But for those who do come to visit a loved one in the affected areas, there can only be two visitors per patient, and they must wear protective gowns and masks.
In the meantime, hospital staff have stepped up their cleaning procedures to include more frequent cleaning of ‘high touch’ areas, and total cleaning of any room where an infected patient had been staying — that includes the curtains.
Campbell says an outbreak is classified as two new cases of admitted patients catching the flu in the hospital within 48 hours.
To declare an outbreak over, they’ll need to go eight days in a row with no other patients getting the flu.
Campbell thanks her staff for working extra hard to contain this virus.
