A decision to reopen the inpatient ward at Clutha Health First is expected to be made this afternoon, following a suspected outbreak of viral gastroenteritis.
Chief executive Ray Anton said the situation was being monitored after the outbreak was noticed at the hospital and health centre in Balclutha on Sunday, and it was hoped to have the ward reopened by tomorrow.
''We have closed the ward and limited access for visitation, not allowed any more admissions, and discharged patients when appropriate and reducing the load on the ward,'' he said.
''We are treating it as a contagious outbreak.''
Due to nine staff being affected by the virus, the number of patients in the ward had been reduced from 11 on Tuesday to nine yesterday.
The number of staff affected was unusual, compared with only one patient being affected, and had impacted on operation, Mr Anton said.
''It has been a big disturbance for inpatient staff and keeping a functioning roster has been hard. Some people have come back to work ... It's been a struggle but we have managed along the way.''
An outbreak had happened before but not at the same level within staff, he said.
Casual and part-time staff had also been used to help fill rosters.
Clutha Health First had contacted the Southern District Health Board, which was offering support.
Mr Anton said patients who would otherwise have been admitted were being transferred or sent to appropriate facilities in Dunedin or Invercargill.
St John and doctors who referred patients to Clutha Health had been made aware of the situation.
No further incidents of the virus had occurred since Tuesday afternoon.
The origin of the virus had not been identified yet, but samples had been sent away for analysis.
Mr Anton said identification would take ''a few days'', and by that time, outbreaks were usually contained.
However, it was suspected to be viral gastroenteritis, no different from was expected at home or in the community, he said.
Given hygiene and protection schemes in place, the outbreak was unusual, he said.
Up-to-date information regarding the situation could be found on the Clutha Health First website www.cluthahealth.co.nz, along with tips on managing gastroenteritis.
