HALIFAX – Northwood said three cases of flu have been confirmed at its nursing home complex in Halifax.
John Verlinden, the corporate director for communications, said the three cases were confirmed on Christmas Day. He adds it is too early to tell whether there is an outbreak at the facility.
He adds that no cases have been reported at Northwood’s Bedford location.
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Verlinden said the cases are in residents, not staff, living on one floor in the nursing home. He adds that no residents have been admitted to hospital.
No details have been released about the ages and genders of the three residents.
“It’s very typical,” he said. “It’s not unusual that flu would occur in the nursing home. We have a large population.”
“It’s something we would deal with on an almost annual basis, whether it’s the actual flu or flu-like symptoms.”
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Verlinden said precautions have been put into place in hopes of stemming the number of flu cases.
He said the three residents have been isolated so other residents are not infected and that residents on the infected floor have been isolated to their floor. Residents have also been told to stay in their rooms if they have any symptoms.
He did not know how many cases of flu were confirmed last year, adding that the number and severity of the cases varies year to year.
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Verlinden said housekeeping staff are performing extra cleaning duties, such as disinfecting the floors, and the hand-washing protocol is being emphasized. He said the facility is also taking precautions when it comes to visitors.
“We would encourage families to only visit the person they are seeing and, if they themselves show symptoms, they should strongly consider not coming in until symptoms are over,” he said.
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When asked whether any deaths have occurred since the cases were reported, Verlinden said it is difficult to link the flu cases with deaths.
“People in nursing homes, their health is already compromised,” he said. “There hasn’t been a spike in deaths at the nursing home that would indicate there is a link between flu and death.”
Verlinden said staff at Northwood are not required to get the flu shot.
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