Two deaths after Salmonella outbreak in personal care home in Winnipeg – Caledonia Courier



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Two people died after being tested positive for Salmonella in a personal care home in Winnipeg, but health officials said it was not confirmed whether or not Bacterial infection had contributed to the death.

Three residents of Golden West Centennial Lodge were tested positive last month and two of them died later in the hospital. The third person recovered.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said the cause of the outbreak had not been discovered.

"Public health and the facility have informed residents, families and staff of the outbreak," said Friday a statement sent by the authorities. "Since the outbreak was confined to the retirement home, no further public notification has been issued. This is the usual practice during a limited epidemic. "

Joyce Kristjansson, executive director of the retirement home, said staff took special action while the outbreak was being investigated. Residents were not allowed to leave their own floors, all group activities were canceled and the focus was on washing the hands of people entering and leaving the building.

"What I would like to emphasize is that we have a very fragile population here and that we contacted all the families when we were first informed," she said.

The public health inspectors worked with the retirement home to try to determine the beginning of the epidemic. The investigation included a kitchen inspection, but no evidence of contamination was found.

Health officials lifted the measures on Tuesday and cases were reported to a national gut surveillance program and the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.

Salmonella is a common bacterium that causes intestinal disease. Symptoms may include diarrhea, fever, nausea, and vomiting. It is usually caused by the consumption of contaminated food that has not been cooked properly, but can also be pbaded from one person to another if people do not wash their hands after using the toilet.

Rick Holley, expert emeritus in food science at the University of Manitoba, said the rate of Salmonella-related hospitalizations in Canada is about 20 cases per 100,000 population . The federal government estimates that there are approximately 87,500 cases each year.

Most people recover from infection after about three days of illness.

"But in about 10% of the population – these are elderly or very young people, or who have a health problem that affects the functioning of their immune system – there can be very serious effects," including including death, he said. I said.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has recalled frozen chicken nuggets three times this year, fearing salmonella contamination.

If people prepare their food properly and respect the rules of hygiene, they can usually avoid serious problems with salmonella, said Holley.

"These organizations do not have fun. They exist to multiply and grow, and they love to grow at body temperature. "

Kelly Geraldine Malone, Canadian Press

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