Abstract
In norovirus outbreak in a nursing home in Malta in November and December 2008, 44 people were affected. 35 of 91 residents and nine of 44 employees were symptomatic. The overall attack rate among residents was 38.5% [corrected]. The outbreak lasted 17 days and the symptoms were mild.
Highlights
A concurrent investigation was carried out by the department of environmental health
Case Definition A case was defined as any resident or employee of the nursing home with two or more episodes of vomiting and/or diarrhoea, with or without other symptoms and with or without laboratory confirmation, between 19 November and 5 December 2008
Epidemiological investigation A descriptive study was undertaken among staff and residents of the nursing home
Summary
In a norovirus outbreak in a nursing home in Malta in November and December 2008, 44 people were affected. 35 of 91 residents and nine of 44 employees were symptomatic. In a norovirus outbreak in a nursing home in Malta in November and December 2008, 44 people were affected. Method Case Definition A case was defined as any resident or employee of the nursing home with two or more episodes of vomiting and/or diarrhoea, with or without other symptoms and with or without laboratory confirmation, between 19 November and 5 December 2008. When the number of symptomatic cases was on the rise, the management of the nursing home started discouraging visits to residents who were symptomatic as well as visits by symptomatic family members. Laboratory investigation Faecal specimens were obtained from thirteen of the symptomatic residents – four from wings A and B and five from wing C, and examined for Shigella, Campylobacter, Salmonella and E. coli O157 in the national public health laboratory. Norovirus was detected in all but one of the submitted samples
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