November 7, 2006

Gastrointestinal illness circulating at Fort St. John Hospital med-surg wing: Visiting restrictions in place

Northern Health has put visiting restrictions in place at Fort St. John Hospital’s med-surg wing, due to a circulating gastrointestinal illness.

To date, there have been ten suspected cases of the illness which first surfaced on Sunday, November 5th. Six patients and four staff have been affected by an unconfirmed Norwalk-like virus (stomach flu).

Northern Health is asking friends and family of patients to avoid visiting the med-surg wing until further notice, and is also restricting admissions to the wing.

“So far the cases have all been isolated to the med-surg wing,” said Dr. Charl Badenhorst, Medical Health Officer, Northeast. “We have sent samples to the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control for analysis and we are awaiting results.

“Facility staff members are taking extra precautionary measures and are working very hard to isolate those with symptoms to avoid spreading the illness to others.”

Viral gastroenteritis is a common illness. Symptoms can include sudden onset of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, as well as cramping, chills and fever. These symptoms generally last from one to three days. Affected individuals should stay at home and not return to work or school until 48 hours after symptoms have resolved.

Careful handwashing is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of disease. People should wash their hands well for at least 20 seconds with warm water and soap – before and after using the washroom and before eating or preparing food.

Infection control measures will remain in place at Fort St. John Hospital’s med-surg wing until the outbreak is declared over. Northern Health will continue to provide updates on facility visitor access as they become available.

For more information about this or any other health-related issues, please call the BC NurseLine at 1-866-215-4700, or TTY at 1-866-889-4700 for the deaf and hearing-impaired. Registered nurses are available to provide health information and advice at any time. Translation services are available in 130 languages. For information on-line, please visit www.bchealthguide.org

Media Contact: