Virus Forces Closure of Ontario ER

Flu-like symptoms of 'winter vomiting disease' not life-threatening

Nov. 25, 2002
SUTTON EAVES, TORONTO STAR STAFF REPORTER

The emergency room at Sunnybrook and Women’s College Health Sciences Centre will likely remain closed until at least Wednesday after an outbreak of a "winter vomiting disease" was discovered this weekend.

The ward closed early this morning after a staff member was discovered to have the virus Saturday evening. By this afternoon, 28 staff members and 13 patients showed symptoms of the virus, which is highly contagious and spread through person-to-person contact.

"We haven't determined what the infection is yet. We suspect it to be a case of something called winter vomiting disease," hospital spokesman Craig DuHamel said.

The virus, which has symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea, can be spread by hand and other person-to-person contact.

Patients in stable condition were being transferred today to other Toronto hospitals such as St. Michael’s or Mount Sinai, while those who have suffered major trauma and were unable to be transferred were being treated at Sunnybrook.

The virus has been contained to the hospital’s emergency ward, but staff are asking all visitors to be vigilant about washing their hands before and after contact with hospital staff and patients.

"It’s a self-limiting virus, it runs its course and then it's finished after 24 hours,” said Craig DuHamel, a spokesperson for the hospital.

He said he wouldn’t want to speculate on the consequences of the virus spreading through the hospital, but admitted that because of the virus' 24-hour incubation period, it will be difficult for staff to determine how many people have contracted it and how long it will last.

The emergency department was expected to be closed until at least Wednesday afternoon, DuHamel said. A similar outbreak at Mount Sinai Hospital last January forced staff to close its emergency ward for more than a week.

Sunnybrook’s emergency room treats about 150 patients a day, 20 of whom are brought by ambulance.

"It has not been a problem right now. We are managing the system quite well," said Larry Roberts of Toronto EMS. While ambulance services are dealing with the redistribution of patients smoothly, Roberts admitted that a major traffic accident near the hospital could pose a problem.

http://thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=
thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1038222105705
&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154