Friday, June 19, 2015
Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance
HPHA – Stratford Site Declares C. difficile Outbreak Over
An outbreak of C. difficile at the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA) – Stratford General Hospital Site has been declared over. The outbreak had been confirmed on the Medicine / Integrated Stroke unit on May 20, 2015.
“In order to declare the outbreak over the Medicine/Integrated Stroke Unit must have 30 days where there are zero or one cases of hospital acquired C. difficile and we’ve reached that point,” says Andrew Williams, HPHA President & CEO. “The impact on our patients, their families and on our entire healthcare team during an outbreak is significant. Being able to declare the outbreak over is a testament to our team’s dedication and commitment to ensuring a safe environment and I thank all for their efforts. ”
C. difficile is a bacteria that can be found in people's bowels and typically does not cause any problems or symptoms in healthy people. However, in some hospitalized patients, C. difficile can damage the lining of the bowel, causing diarrhea.
C. difficile is the most frequent cause of infectious diarrhea in hospitals and long-term care facilities in Canada, as well as in other industrialized countries.
“The important thing to note is that C. difficile cases always will occur in hospitals in small numbers,” says Kerri Hannon, Infection Control Practitioner. “Constant vigilance is required to minimize the spread of infection including strict adherence to hand hygiene; use of personal protective equipment; environmental cleaning and isolation precautions.”
Visitors are reminded about the importance of handwashing when spending time with their loved ones in a hospital environment.
“It really is key to key to stopping the spread of bacteria,” adds Williams.
Media Contact:
Andrew Williams, President & CEO
Office: 519-272-8202
Mobile: 519-274-0021
andrew.williams@hpha.ca
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