Personal Injury Law

Outbreak Causes Tamaru Hospital To Postpone Elective Surgeries As Number of Norovirus Cases Soars

By Marler Clark LLP

It is the cool season down under. New Zealand is experiencing temperatures in the 50's this time of year.

Maybe that is the reason for a soaring number of norovirus cases in Timaru, the fishing and cargo port on the South island. And, the outbreak is centered on Timaru Hospital where in the last 24 hours 19 patients and six staff members were suffering from norovirus symptoms.

The norovirus outbreak is so serious, the hospital serving a community of over 42,000 has decided to postpone elective surgeries. It put both its medical and surgical wards on lockdown.

Eleven surgeries have been postponed so far, according to clinical services general manager Christine Nolan, but none was cancelled. 

"Surgery lists are being drawn up to include more cases of day surgery which allow people to recover at home instead of in-patient surgery requiring a lengthy recovery in hospital," Nolan told the Tamaru Herald.

The New Zealand newspaper has more here.

Full post as published by Norovirus Blog on June 09, 2009 (boomark / email).