Dodged another bullet :)

Officials at Regina hospital say outbreak of C. difficile over in neonatal ICU

Provided by: The Canadian Press
Written by: THE CANADIAN PRESS
Oct. 18, 2008

REGINA - Health officials say a neonatal intensive care unit in the Regina General Hospital has been given the all-clear and a C. difficile outbreak is over.

Earlier this week, the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region said nine babies had tested positive for Clostridium difficile.

Five of the nine babies had received antibiotics after the outbreak was detected on Oct. 2, and their symptoms cleared.

The remaining four infants received treatment on Wednesday and have since tested negative and are free of symptoms.

Isolation precautions have also been lifted at the hospital.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada's website, C. difficile bacteria cause diarrhea and more serious intestinal conditions like colitis. It's one of the most common diarrheal infections in hospitals and long-term care facilities.

It has been identified as a factor in hundreds of deaths in Ontario and Quebec hospitals.

In August, hospitals across Ontario reported 319 cases of the C. difficile infection. One virulent strain of C. difficile, called NAP-1, has killed more than 2,000 hospital patients in Quebec in the last several years.

C. difficile bacteria are found in feces. People can get infected if they use their hands to touch surfaces contaminated with feces, and then touch their mouths or eyes. Health workers can spread the bacteria to their patients if their hands are contaminated.

It's not clear how the babies in the Regina General Hospital were infected.

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