The Norfolk General Hospital has declared a Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus outbreak on Third Floor Unit .
The outbreak was called after three patients tested positive for VRE.
Norfolk General Hospital’s Infection Prevention and Control experts are monitoring this situation closely.
Some immediate actions being taken include:
Isolation precautions
Enhanced cleaning strategies
Unit admission restrictions
Visitor restrictions
Enhanced environmental auditing
Vancomycin-resistant enterococci are a type of bacteria present in the gastrointestinal tract that develop resistance to many antibiotics, especially vancomycin.
It can be spread through contact from person-to-person or from contaminated surfaces.
VRE is normally known for its colonization (carried with no infection) but has also been known to cause a severe infection.