Bridgepoint Health, a Regent Park-area care facility for people with chronic diseases, shut down on Valentine's Day after an outbreak of the virus. According to hospital spokesperson Diane Whidden, a total of 50 staff members and patients have been affected.
The hospital, which was known as the Riverdale Hospital until a decade ago, has hundreds of patients, many of whom are bedridden with limited mobility. However, there are currently 20 active cases in the hospital which has a capacity of 500-beds.
According to Citynews.ca, the hospital hopes to start normal functioning by the end of next week. Norwalk virus causes winter vomiting disease, viral gastroenteritis, acute nonbacterial gastroenteritis, food poisoning, and stomach flu. The symptoms include stomach pain, diarrhea, and vomiting in humans, as well as general lethargy and weakness.
The virus shut down New Brunswick's Mount Allison University last October, when more than 100 students and staff became infected. It was first discovered in the 1970s when a group of school children in Norwalk, Ohio reported mysterious infection that resembled the stomach flu.
It is highly contagious and can spread in hospitals or on cruise ships. The virus is found in contaminated water or food and can be transmitted from person to person by contact with infected vomit or fecal matter.
Precautionary measures include complete hand sanitization and the wearing of gowns and gloves as there is no cure for it and antibiotics don't work against the infection.
