Alberta hospital closes doors over superbug spread*

Updated Tue. Mar. 20 2007 9:25 PM ET

CTV News Staff

ALBERTA CANADA- A rural Alberta hospital has been ordered to stop taking
new patients while it deals with two serious issues: the outbreak of a
potent superbug; and the discovery of improper equipment sterilization
procedures.

Under the order, St. Joseph's General Hospital, in Vegreville in
east-central Alberta, must halt all admissions, cancel out-patient day
surgery and close the sterilization room.

The health region did not explain why the order was made Friday but was
not made public until Tuesday.

Emergency and acute-care patients at St. Joseph's are being sent to
nearby hospitals, and medical equipment is being sent to other hospitals
for sterilization.

Several patients at St. Joseph's are currently infected with MRSA
(methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

The bacterium can cause a range of problems from skin or wound
infections, to abscesses to pneumonia, and is resistant to a commonly
used group of antibiotics.

Many people can be carrying the bacterium without becoming sick. But
between 20 per cent and 30 per cent of carriers will go on to develop an
MRSA-induced illness.

As well, the health authority has become aware that the hospital has
been improperly sterilizing its equipment for about four years, putting
patients at risk of serious infections, such as HIV or hepatitis.

Officials are reviewing patient records dating back to April 1, 2003,
but still don't know how many people might have been affected.

"What we do know is that patients who have had surgical procedures or
treatment at the emergency room at St. Joseph's may be at very low risk
- very low risk -- of exposure to blood-borne pathogens," Minister of
Health and Wellness Dave Hancock told reporters Tuesday.

Patients who may be affected are being contacted and advised to get
tested for HIV, as well as hepatitis B and C.

Former patients who have questions are encouraged to call the Health
Link Alberta toll-free telephone at 1-866-LINK (5465).

"Let me be very clear," Hancock added, "although the risk of
transmission is very low, as minister of health and wellness I am very
concerned and I am determined to find out how this could have happened.

"Albertans deserve and expect quality health care. It is unacceptable to
me that this situation could arise in our health system."

Hancock said he has asked the Health Quality Council of Alberta to
review the situation and provide him with an explanation as to how it
happened.

Further action will be determined following the results of that review,
Hancock said.

Reaction

Meanwhile, Alberta's opposition parties are raising alarms about the
delay in any action being taken after the discovery of the outbreak.

"The original order was given on February 13th, what's going on?'' said
Liberal health critic Laurie Blakeman."`They didn't have, what, the
manpower, the willpower to be able to enforce any kind of order."

As for the sterilization problem, Health Minister Dave Hancock said no
one who was treated at the hospital has so far been found to have been
infected by the improperly sterilized equipment.

The problem was described as "fairly recent," so Hancock said health
officials are just being prudent in alerting patients who were treated
at the hospital as far back as 2003.

Dr. Karen Grimsrud, deputy provincial health officer, said the
inadequate sterilization problem was mainly the result of lack of
training for staff involved in the cleaning process.

"The inside of the scopes were not cleaned and so there's tissue and
blood left from the previous patient," she said.

Hancock said Albertans deserve and expect more from their health-care
system, so he's ordered an immediate review by the province's Health
Quality Council.

"It's unacceptable to me, as I'm sure it is to most Albertans, that this
situation could arise in our health system."

With a report from the Canadian Press