Gastroenteritis Outbreak IPC Management

Gastroenteritis is nothing to worry about… or is it?

It certainly can be if you are a young child, pregnant, elderly or immunocompromised. Viral gastroenteritis can affect everyone. That impact can multiply at a significant rate if you operate with a ‘high foot flow’ of visitors, such as a food business, medical practitioner, childcare or aged care facility and you have a gastroenteritis outbreak.

With gastroenteritis outbreaks continuing to impact Australian healthcare and aged care services, and with norovirus outbreaks regularly making national news, ensuring staff are outbreak-ready remains critical.

Gastroenteritis remains one of the most common and disruptive infectious disease outbreaks in Australian healthcare and residential care settings. Rapid spread can significantly impact workforce availability and service continuity.

We’ve all been there. It starts with a gurgle. Maybe a bit of a headache and tummy cramp, and you feel generally unwell. Suddenly there’s the onset of nausea, followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, or both!

Was it something I ate? Have I been around someone sick?

Viral gastroenteritis, or ‘gastro’,  is highly infectious and is spread by the vomit or faeces of an infected person through:

• contaminated food or  drink,
• contaminated surfaces, or
• person-to-person contact with someone who has been sick and has the virus or spread through aerosolised particles.

‍Gastro is triggered by infection that causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive system. It can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain and nausea that can last up to two weeks. Many different viruses can cause gastroenteritis, including rotavirus and norovirus.

Gastro is not usually serious, but it can lead to dehydration. Milder forms can be managed at home by drinking fluids. However, older people, young children and those with a weakened immune system are at risk of developing more serious illnesses.

Gastroenteritis is contagious.

Hospital patients and aged care residents are more susceptible to gastroenteritis because of weaker immune systems, potential poor hand hygiene practices and a greater use of antibiotics which can strip the gastric system. Close living arrangements in these types of facilities, along with close contact with staff and visitors make them an ideal place for gastroenteritis to spread.

It is important to be alert to a possible gastroenteritis outbreak. It is recommended that all Health Care Workers (HCWs) report all episodes of unexplained diarrhoea and/or vomiting in patients and/or HCWs to their manager promptly. This is so that cases can be appropriately monitored and managed, and an outbreak identified as early as possible.