Deadly gastro virus hits Victoria’s aged hardest
Victoria is the capital state for gastric illness in hospitals and nursing homes with 531 gastro outbreaks infecting 9,130 Victorians with 58 of them dying. By comparison the most populous state – New South Wales – had 8,678 cases and 14 deaths, according to Department of Health and Ageing figures.
Poor hygiene has been found to be the main cause of the outbreaks and led to the Federal Government developing a new health kit which includes instructions on basics such as hand washing and the use of surgical masks when handling infected patients.
Lynda Saltareli, of agedcarecrisis.com, told the Herald Sun newspaper that “nursing home residents are often very vulnerable and frail and that is why a gastro outbreak can be dangerous. Nursing home staff need to be better versed in basic disease management practices”.
In the worst Victorian outbreak in April, 2007, five residents died at the Broughton Hall aged-care facility. The Camberwell home failed 12 out of 44 basic standards including infection control when checked by aged-care auditors. A Victorian Department of Human Services spokesman said that the strain of norovirus, which causes most viral gastroenteritis cases, hit Victoria badly last year.
