Guidelines for the Management of Norovirus Outbreaks in Hospitals and Elderly Care Institutions

Guidelines for the Management of Norovirus Outbreaks in Hospitals and Elderly Care Institutions
Date of publication: April 2008

Noroviruses (formerly known as Norwalk-like viruses (NLVs) or small round structured viruses (SRSVs)) cause significant morbidity in New Zealand. Although illness is generally of short duration (less than 60 hours) outbreaks are common and often explosive. An estimated 53,000 cases of norovirus infection occur in New Zealand annually.

An outbreak can be simply defined as ‘two or more cases of illness linked to a common source’ . An outbreak of norovirus should be suspected where one patient or resident shows signs of gastroenteritis. Outbreaks of norovirus gastroenteritis are being increasingly recognised in the community and within hospitals, hotels, elderly and child care facilities in New Zealand.

Institutional outbreaks involving hospitals and elderly care facilities are important. In 2002 elderly care facilities accounted for over half of all institutional outbreaks reported. Hospital and nursing home residents represent high-risk populations for the transmission of gastrointestinal illness . The residents are likely to be relatively immunosuppressed and experience a more complicated clinical course. Outbreaks spread through person-to-person transmission among residents and patients and are complicated by enclosed living conditions and immobility . In nursing homes faecal incontinence and reduced mental function may also present challenges to outbreak control.

These guidelines provide advice and recommendations on how to manage and control an outbreak of norovirus within an institutional setting in New Zealand.

Disclaimer:
Although these guidelines were not developed by the Ministry of Health and are not Ministry of Health policy the Ministry of Health is pleased to be able to distribute them more widely in the public interest.

Document availability

The document Guidelines for the Management of Norovirus Outbreaks in Hospitals and Elderly Care Institutions is available in PDF format from the Auckland Regional Public Health Service website.

Guidelines for the Management of Norovirus Outbreaks in Hospitals and Elderly Care Institutions (www.arphs.govt.nz)

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