Some good news from the Owen Sound hospital.
Grey Bruce Health Services has declared the VRE outbreak over on its 6-1 medical unit.
Lab results received this morning confirmed no new cases on the unit.
The medical unit will now resume normal operations.
Unit 6-1 was closed to new admissions on August 7th after three patients tested positive for Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus.
Sonja Glass — the Chief Quality Officer for Grey Bruce Health Services — says none of the patients became sick or required treatment because of the bacteria.
The outbreak affected only one nursing unit of the hospital, all other nursing units and hospital services remained fully operational.
The decision to close the unit to new patient admissions was a precautionary measure and a means of preventing further transmission of the bacteria.
Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE) are bacteria commonly found in the digestive tract of humans and animals.
VRE can be passed on if you do not wash your hands and touch objects that other people have touched, such as bed rails, telephones or doorknobs.
Hand washing is our most powerful tool in preventing the spread of bacteria.
