Virulent stomach bug hits hospital (From This Is Cheshire)

Virulent stomach bug hits hospital

8:34am Thursday 21st June 2007 in

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STRICT control measures are in place for 10 hospital patients with a suspected potentially fatal stomach bug.

A staff member told the Warrington Guardian patients weren't being told they had the potentially fatal Clostridium difficile.

The staff member said: "I don't think the patients have been given the true facts. They are saying it's an upset stomach, they are not saying it's C Diff."

North Cheshire Hospitals Trust said it could reassure all patients and visitors' it was not an outbreak as the cases were unrelated.

And it said: "A robust prevention, diagnosis and treatment action plan is in operation to ensure cases are kept to a minimum."

Kath Holbourn, director of nursing, said: "We have 10 patients in Warrington and Halton who have active symptoms of Clostridium difficile, and all of these patients are being nursed in side rooms, closely monitored by the Infection Control Team.

"We are monitoring a further 30 patients across both hospitals who have previously had Clostridium difficile at some point in their hospital stay. Several of these patients were admitted to our hospitals with the infection."

Clostridium difficile is an infection that can cause diarrhoea. It most severely affects the over 65s and can occasionally be fatal but in most cases can be easily treated.

Last year the hospital trust recoded one case per 503 bed days for the over 65s, better than the national average of one case per 417.

The staff member said wards were not being closed and patients not isolated.

They also said: "There's no proper infection control in place on the wards. Relatives have been allowed to come in. I have never known CDT to be this bad. People are being discharged before they are well and coming back in."

The hospital said: "All staff are made aware of the Infection Control Policy when they join the Trust and have regular mandatory updates, to ensure they are aware of the ways in which to manage and contain infections.

"Furthermore, the trust displays signs in all wards and side wards highlighting to visitors the importance of washing their hands with soap and water to reduce the risks of cross infection.

"Where possible, patients are kept on short treatment courses in line with national guidelines."

The Health Protection Agency classes two or more related cases as an outbreak but North Cheshire Hospitals does not believe its cases are related.

It said it does not routinely test for the more serious 027 strain, which has caused several fatal outbreaks in Canada.

A recent outbreak at a Canadian Hospital was "cautiously" declared over when baseline rates dropped to six to eight unrelated cases a month.