By Angela Hill

C. difficile causes restrictions at Victoria Hospital

Jul 29, 2011 | 12:03 PM

There are visitor restrictions in place at Victoria Hospital after an outbreak of Clostridium difficile was found on the surgical level.

There are five confirmed cases and two suspected cases of the bacterial infection.

“Five within such a short period, I wouldn’t say rare. It’s a concern,” said Dr. Khami Chokani, medical health officer with the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region.

The patients have been isolated in private rooms with signage on the doors telling people that gloves and gowns are required before entering and good hand washing with soap and water is necessary.

“It is important to let people know that alcohol based hand cleansers are no effect against C. diff … soap and water is effective,” said Doug Dahl, communications officer with the health region.

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“It is a difficult bug to contain, we are doing our best to limit the possibility that it could spread to other patients.”

The only visitors allowed on the surgical unit are immediate family who have received permission.
Surgeries are continuing as usual, with post-surgical patients being isolated from infected patients.

A difficult bug to kill

C. difficile, an antibiotic-resistant bacteria, causes symptoms, such as diarrhea, fever and abdominal pain. The spores are produces are considered extremely difficult to remove from the body and environment.

These five are not first cases that the health region has seen of C. difficile.

Since November 2010 there were 15 additional new cases — about 50 per cent of which were contracted though the community and the other half were acquired through a facility, said Chokani.

The question for healthcare officials is whether the bacteria is being acquired through their health facilities or from others, outside their jurisdiction.

“We probably think it’s from outside of our jurisdiction, especially in these last few cases,” Chokani said.

The next step is investigating the strain to figure out where these last few cases are from and if they are related to the cases from earlier this year.

The hospital's housekeeping services are increased on the surgical level to keep the bacteria contained by making an unfavourable environment for it to live in, Chokani said.

While the bacteria is largely considered antibiotic resistant, certain strains are sensitive to certain antibiotics. Health workers figure out which ones can still be effective and under careful monitoring administer those medications to patients, Chokani said.

Admissions and discharges continue from the hospital as usual, as long as the client to be discharged has been free of symptoms for at least 72 hours.

ahill@panow.com