62 cases of RSV at Geriatric hospital

There have been 62 cases of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) at the Geriatric Hospital forcing health officials to halt public visits to the institution.Chief Medical Officer Joy St John, told the WEEKEND NATION yesterday that the first cases of the influenza-like sickness were diagnosed two weeks ago.St John said it was the first time this virus had such an effect at the Geriatric Hospital for such a prolonged period.“It is unprecedented at the Geriatric Hospital, to have these numbers for a sustained period of time. We know what we have to do and those measures are already in place,” she said.RSV has also been identified on the paediatric wards of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) and according to St John, it is also being appropriately managed. The epidemiology unit have been holding regular outbreak control meetings, chaired by doctor Karen Springer, to review what is happening and plan on improvement.As a precaution, Geriatric hospital staff are asked to report it if they are feeling unwell. Relatives of patients are asked to call the hospital to make arrangements for the delivery of clothes or other items.St John said the ailment usually preys on the very young or the very old, both of whom would be vulnerable to such a virus.“Over the years, we have had seasonal outbreaks of this virus but typically very young children. On this occasion, it has affected very large numbers of older persons in the geriatric hospital,” she said.Coughing, fever, difficulty in breathing and weakness are the major symptoms and St. John  said those affected were getting the appropriate medication to alleviate any pain or fever.Those with a bacterial super infection would be placed on anti-biotics.She said a laboratory infrastructure had been in place for the HI NI pandemic and those same standards would be applied to deal with the respiratory syncytial virus. (MK)