A Gisborne rest home has been struck by the same highly-contagious gastro-enteritis virus that closed wards at Otago Hospital for almost a month.
Leighton House Rest Home is in lockdown after confirmation late yesterday of a norovirus outbreak.
Tairawhiti District Health's (TDH) health protection team confirmed that norovirus had been contracted by 11 residents in Leighton House but said yesterday the outbreak was waning.
The 48-hour vomiting bug forced the rest home to restrict residents to their rooms in an effort to contain the outbreak.
The rest home's two registered nurses and more than 40 staff have been working hard looking after those who are sick, as well as cleaning surfaces to prevent further spread of the airborne virus.
Yesterday, rest home manager Susan Irwin said she hoped they now had a handle on the outbreak.
"We haven't had anyone new show symptoms for 12 hours, so we are hoping we are on top of it," she said.
"Everyone is being kept in their rooms and at the moment it is about maintaining infection control.
While the virus could have come from anywhere, it was suspected it was the same vomiting bug that kept more than 300 Gisborne Boys' High School students off school in August, said Ms Irwin.
Norovirus causes people to get sick suddenly, usually within a day. They have diarrhoea, violent vomiting and stomach cramps.
Of the 11 residents who displayed symptoms, none were so severe that needed to see a doctor, said Ms Irwin.
The rest home would be given the all-clear by the TDH health protection team when no residents had showed signs of the virus for 48 hours.
TDH medical officer of health Dr Geoffrey Cramp said no new cases of norovirus had been recorded in the past 24 hours.
Norovirus is one of the most common causes of gastro-enteritis and vomiting outbreaks in New Zealand.
Otago Hospital has been battling the virus since August 5, when wards were closed due to an outbreak.
