VICTORIA, B.C. - An outbreak of an unidentified respiratory illness during which 10 frail seniors died at a Victoria care home last month has ended, say health officials.
The Vancouver Island Health Authority hasn't yet pinpointed the cause of the respiratory illness that spread to 21 residents at Glengarry Hospital.
But it said the illnesses have been contained because no new cases have occurred since last Thursday.
Shannon Marshall, a VIHA spokeswoman, said an outbreak of Norovirus that started earlier is also over.
"Infection control measures remain in place ... and the outbreak status will be reviewed on a daily basis," she said Wednesday in a news release.
Some 39 residents were affected by the Norovirus spread that was announced April 6, but it didn't result in any deaths.
When several patients began coughing and having runny noses in the initial stages of that outbreak, officials at first believed everyone was affected by the same illness.
By mid-month, the number of cases had jumped and several people had died, leading VIHA to declare the respiratory outbreak on April 22.
Laboratory tests were conducted at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, ruling out influenza A and B and H1N1. The centre continues to investigate.
Marshall has said the ten elderly people who died, ranging in age from 81 to 97, already suffered from medical challenges including dementia. Reviews are underway to determine to what extent the respiratory condition contributed to their deaths.
The last person who died was an elderly man who displayed symptoms consistent with the illness last weekend.
Three staff members who also experienced symptoms are recovering.
