Communal areas have been closed and children suspected of having the virus placed in single rooms. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Communal areas have been closed and children suspected of having the virus placed in single rooms. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Outbreak forces sick children into isolation to halt bug’s spread.
Starship Hospital says the last child is due out of isolation today and its toy library is set to reopen this week after a norovirus outbreak.
A recent outbreak of a highly contagious bug at Starship Hospital has forced sick children into isolation, closed wards and meant some staff and families have been ordered to stay away.
Starship has been on high alert since the norovirus outbreak almost two months ago. It has imposed rigid measures to prevent the spread of the bug.
Norovirus is potentially fatal for sick and vulnerable people.
Communal areas were closed and a child suspected of having the virus placed in a single room. The child is due to return to a general ward today.
Starship Hospital director Dr John Beca said some patients had contracted the virus in the community and some in hospital. "When we identify a patient with this bug, we quickly put in place measures to limit the spread of any infection," he said.
The virus causes vomiting and diarrhoea and was detected last month.
Parents, as well as nurses and doctors treating the children, wore gloves, masks and gowns to try to block the spread, but more cases were quickly diagnosed.
By early this month, hospital management was forced to notify Auckland Regional Public Health Service of the outbreak.
A hospital spokesman told the Herald on Sunday the infection rate peaked two weeks ago when six children were in isolation.
By yesterday that number was down to two, but nine playrooms and the toy library remained closed.
The wards were not in lockdown, the spokesman said, but staff were doing everything possible to stop the spread of the highly contagious illness.
"The patients with confirmed gastro-illness are in single rooms. Our staff, patients and visitors have been advised to take sensible precautions to minimise infection."
One parent commented on an unofficial Starship Facebook page, describing her relief that her child, who has cancer, returned a negative result for norovirus testing.
"Thank goodness for that ... but whole ward is on high alert as it is rampant in Starship," she wrote.
A hospital spokesman told the Herald on Sunday the infection rate peaked two weeks ago when six children were in isolation. Photo / Natalie Slade
The little girl was still in isolation because of a gastro-bug.
Medical Officer of Health Dr David Sinclair said all norovirus outbreaks should be notified to the local public health service.
"Norovirus is highly infectious, and it can spread rapidly where people are clustered together."
So far this year there had been five outbreaks in hospitals, five in schools and 23 in rest homes.
The largest norovirus outbreak in New Zealand was in 2006.
It was linked to a catering firm that served raw, thawed, imported oysters to fans watching the All Black/Ireland test at Eden Park in corporate hospitality areas.
An estimated 350 people fell ill. Last year, norovirus ripped through an Auckland University residence, leaving 165 students sick and the worst-affected needing hospital treatment.
