title: An outbreak of viral gastroenteritis in a psychiatric hospital.
abstract: In September and October 1987, an outbreak of gastroenteritis due to small round structured viruses occurred in a large psychiatric hospital. A total of 149 people, 83 patients and 66 members of staff, were affected over a 26-day period. Most cases were associated with three psychogeriatric wards. The outbreak highlighted the special problems of infection control in long-stay psychiatric units and methods of overcoming these difficulties are discussed.
authors.affiliation: PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, London, UK.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Mahony
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: McKeith
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Sprott
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Codd
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006113:United Kingdom; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission