C. difficile outbreak in St-Hyacinthe claims another life

The C. difficile outbreak at a Quebec hospital in St-Hyacinthe has killed another person, bringing the death toll to 10 since the bacteria emerged at the health centre in July.

A total of 25 people have been infected with C. difficile, which causes severe diarrhea,at the Centre hospitalier Honoré-Mercier in St-Hyacinthe, an agricultural town southeast of Montreal.

The hospital announced in late October that it had introduced several measures to contain the infection, including restricted visiting rules and a massive disinfection campaign.

Hospital officials say it will take more than two weeks to finish the decontamination.

The outbreak is dramatic because it may be due to a stronger, more resistant strain of the bacteria, doctors at the hospital said.

Health experts believe C. difficile thrives in hospital environments because of the rampant use of antibiotics, which destroy the natural bacterial balance in the body. C. difficile thrives in the gut and can cause severe diarrhea.