Another outbreak has occurred at Unit 4-1 at the Owen Sound hospital.
Grey Bruce Health Services has closed the unit to new admissions after a VRE outbreak (vancomycin resistant enterococcus).
The same unit was closed because of similar VRE outbreaks twice last year.
Sonja Glass is Corporate Manager of Risk Management and Quality Improvement.
Glass says four of the 24 patients in the unit have the so-called super bug.
But Glass tells Bayshore Broadcasting News no one has become sick with infection.
If a patient does get infected — Glass notes it makes it more difficult to treat the condition.
Glass says by closing Unit 4-1 to new admissions — it will make it easier for their staff to thoroughly clean the department.
Grey Bruce Health Services will only allow two visitors for each patient in the department — and they will have to wear gowns and gloves when they visit.
Glass says we shouldn’t be alarmed the same Unit has again been hit with a VRE outbreak.
She notes the patients in the department have chronic medical conditions and makes them more susceptible to VRE.
Glass notes they also routinely test patients for VRE.
Glass notes they will swab all patients in Unit 4-1 every three days and they will lift the outbreak once they find the VRE outbreak is gone for two swab periods.
She hopes that will take place sometime next week.