Deadly virus surfaces in Northland again

A Whangarei rest home is in lockdown after finding 11 cases of norovirus gastroenteritis, which was linked to the deaths of two elderly Northland rest home residents last year.

Ranburn Lifestyle residential rest home, in Waipu, has asked family and friends of residents not to visit until the property is declared free of the disease.

Ron Spraggon, general operating manager of Ultimate Care Group, which runs Ranburn, said there was another suspected norovirus case at the rest home yesterday. He said, as a result, Ranburn was staying in lockdown until it was sure everybody was clear of the illness.

How the virus got into Ranburn had yet to be established but a health official said it was highly infectious and could be caught from contaminated air particles.

Northland medical officer of health Jonathan Jarman said the Northland District Health Board was notified on September 11 of a possible outbreak of the stomach bug at a rest home and tests had confirmed that it was norovirus.

Dr Jarman said norovirus was a highly infectious virus and outbreaks were not uncommon in rest homes or hospitals. He said a norovirus outbreak last year affected 288 people in six Northland rest homes and was linked to the deaths of two elderly residents.

''It's a fact of life for rest homes that sooner or later most of them can expect an outbreak of norovirus gastroenteritis,'' Dr Jarman said.

To stop its spread, anyone with a stomach bug should stay at home and not go to school or work, and not visit any rest homes where the residents were already vulnerable to the spread of such diseases.

''One of the unique features of norovirus is that it can spread through the air as well as through the usual way tummy bugs spread. When a person vomits, the norovirus can become like an aerosol and float through the air. It is possible to walk through a place where someone has vomited with norovirus and catch the bug, even though you did not touch anything,'' he said.

''This is one of the reasons that rest homes and hospitals 'lock down' to stop the infection spreading to other people. There are also high numbers of the bug in the bowel movements of sick people. Hand-washing is critical to prevent spread," Dr Jarman said.

All other rest homes in the region have been informed of the outbreak and they have put up warning signs urging visitors to stay away if they are feeling ill.

Norovirus is spread by contact with infected people, including airborne particles, eating contaminated food or drinking untreated water. The symptoms include nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhoea, vomiting, headache, chills and aching muscles. It is normally only a mild illness but it can be far more serious for the elderly and very young.