Norovirus breakout hits hospital
A confirmed outbreak of Norovirus has sickened 37 staff members and patients in the adult psychiatric unit at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, hospital and public health officials said Friday.
Visitors were restricted and patients were asked to remain in their rooms after the highly contagious illness, commonly known as stomach flu, swept through the locked-down unit this week, said Elaine Couture, the hospital’s chief operating officer.
Tests from the Washington State Public Health Laboratories on Friday identified the illness, named for a group of viruses that cause gastroenteritis, said Julie Graham, spokeswoman for the Spokane Regional Health District.
The outbreak began Sunday, when two people became ill with symptoms that include vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever and chills, Couture said.
By Tuesday, eight to 10 people were ill. By Friday, the outbreak sickened more than half of the people on the unit, which can accommodate 44 patients. Symptoms appear 24 to 48 hours after exposure and usually last one to two days.
Norovirus is typically not serious. However, it can be dangerous to elderly people, children and those with compromised immune systems, Couture said. Dehydration poses the biggest risk to vulnerable people.
Hospital officials notified staff, put up posters in public areas and set out samples of anti-bacterial gel to prevent the outbreak from spreading to other departments. Public health officials said they were confident that those precautions would be successful.
“Our concern is much less than if it was in a long-term care facility,” said Mark Springer, epidemiologist with the health district.
So far this year, outbreaks of Norovirus have been reported at eight long-term care centers in the Spokane area, Springer said. Operators aren’t required to report the disease to the health district, but most do in order to document their standards of care, he added.
One person died and several were hospitalized during outbreaks this year that sickened more than 140 patients and nearly 70 staff members, health district records showed. The death occurred during a May outbreak at the Windriver House assisted living center in Spokane, according to a submitted report. Federal privacy rules prevent the release of information about the patient. Springer emphasized that the death was not caused by Norovirus and that many other illnesses, including influenza and pneumonia, can weaken already vulnerable people.
Norovirus is transmitted in the vomit and stools of infected people. It’s spread from person to person or by touching contaminated surfaces, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Thorough hygiene is the best way to prevent the spread of Norovirus. “The important thing for people to understand is how they can prevent it in their households,” Couture said. “It’s as simple as covering your mouth when you cough and washing your hands.”
Effective hand-washing includes washing all hand surfaces, including between the fingers, with soap and hot running water for 20 seconds. That’s long enough to sing one verse of “Happy Birthday” or “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” hospital officials said.