140 hospital staff members fall ill with gastroenteritis in Helsinki

About 140 staff members working at the Malmi Hospital in Helsinki have fallen sick with gastroenteritis recently, said the Helsinki Environment Center on Friday.

Three of the sufferers have tested positive for Norovirus. The sick have suffered from nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, which are typical symptoms caused by Norovirus, the most common cause of viral gastroenteritis in humans.

The first group of people was found infected at the beginning of November, said the center.

The authority is working with infectious diseases specialists to investigate the gastroenteritis epidemic and its possible link with the hospital's staff restaurant and cafe.

Only a part of the patients have dined in the restaurant and cafe. Norovirus is highly infectious, said the center, and it can be transmitted directly from person to person and indirectly via contaminated water and food.

So far, no signs have been found linking the outbreak of the disease to either the restaurant or the cafe.

Mia Laiho, director of emergency duty at the Malmi Hospital, told Finnish daily Turun Sanomat that the epidemic has not affected hospital operations and patients in the hospital have not been seriously affected.

The Environment Center suggested that those who have suffered from the disease should be absent from work for at least two days after cessation of symptoms. Endit