Outbreak of influenza forces hospital to close

May 17 2008 by Madeleine Brindley, Western Mail

A COMMUNITY hospital has been closed because of an outbreak of influenza B.

The outbreak at Maesteg Hospital is the sixth in Wales since March.

There have been more than 160 cases of influenza B and 14 deaths associated with the virus, which is a form of seasonal flu, in four care homes and two hospitals.

GPs and hospital doctors in Maesteg have been given permission to prescribe the anti-flu drugs Tamiflu and Relenza – also known as oseltamivir and zanamivir – which can lessen the duration of infection, to patients.

Eleven patients and 17 members of staff at Maesteg Hospital have become the latest to fall ill with influenza B infections, although there have been no deaths at the small, two-ward centre.

Llynfi ward was closed on May 9, and Cwmhavan closed, as a precaution, on May 13.

Strict infection controls have been put in place at the hospital, which provides inpatient care for medical admissions and the elderly mentally ill and respite care, since the outbreak started.

Visitors have been asked to stay away from the hospital until the wards have been reopened and advice about how to avoid respiratory diseases and manage coughs and colds has been released to the public.

This includes using disposable tissues and throwing or flushing them away after use, as well as washing hands thoroughly after coughing or sneezing and avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth.

Liz Rix, interim director of nursing at Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University NHS Trust, which runs Maesteg Hospital, said: “We are doing everything possible to care for the patients affected, and we are taking positive steps to minimise the risk to others.”

And a trust spokeswoman added: “Staff at Maesteg Hospital are working very hard to deliver the best quality care to patients affected by influenza B.

“We are also very grateful to the public for their co-operation in refraining from visiting at this time, and we hope to be able to reopen the hospital as soon as possible.

“In the meantime, the trust’s other hospitals and community staff are offering their full support to ensure the needs of the local community are met until Maesteg Hospital is fully functional again.”

The Maesteg outbreak comes after the Waverley Care Centre, in Penarth, was closed for three weeks. Visitors to the home were also banned in a bid to prevent the influenza B virus from spreading.

There were 41 cases of influenza B among the 129 residents. The home reopened on Tuesday.

Similar outbreaks have also been reported – and have now been declared over – at Caernarfon Community Hospital and at care homes in Haverfordwest, Mountain Ash and Swansea.

Influenza B is a flu virus which only affects humans and is classed as seasonal flu. It usually causes a milder illness than the common influenza A strain, but it can cause serious illnesses in frail and elderly patients.

It is thought that the flu virus entered the hospitals and care homes from the community.