Four patients at Guelph General Hospital have contracted C. difficile, prompting hospital officials to declare an outbreak.
Hospital officials say the facility typically sees one or two cases of C. difficile each month, but has experienced higher levels in September and October.
One of the most common infections in hospitals, C. difficile is a bacteria which can cause diarrhea and is more likely to affect older people and those who are already sick and taking antibiotics.
The outbreak was declared Friday in consultation with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health.
Visitors to the hospital are being asked to clean their hands using hand sanitizer provided by the hospital when entering or leaving any area of the facility.
Additional infection control measures are also in place, the hospital says, including prevention education for frontline staff, enhanced cleaning protocols and a review of recent cases of unexplained diarrhea.
