KEY POINTS:
A suspected norovirus outbreak has closed a ward at Dunedin Hospital and led to some surgery being postponed.
Ward 5B, for neurosciences, eyes, and ear, nose and throat patients, was closed on Monday night after seven staff and three patients started falling ill and were suspected of having the highly contagious virus.
Otago District Health Board infection prevention and control charge nurse manager Jo Stodart said another patient and another staff member fell ill yesterday.
Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and headache.
Staff have been kept away from work until they are 48 hours symptom-free to prevent cross-infection, she said.
The ward was not accepting any more patients or allowing visitors.
Patients who were seriously unwell and would usually be admitted to 5B were being admitted to other wards, but five patients who were going to be admitted for scheduled surgery have had their operations postponed.
It was possible the outbreak could spread to other areas of the hospital.
However, early detection of the outbreak meant control measures were put in place promptly and limited the spread of the outbreak, Mrs Stodart said.
Test results to determine if the cause was norovirus were expected next week.
Last month, 24 residents and five staff were affected by a suspected norovirus outbreak at a Dunedin rest-home.
- NZPA
