PRINCE.EDWARD.ISLAND (CBC) - Officials at Charlottetown's Queen Elizabeth Hospital have declared the outbreak of an antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria under control.

There have been no new cases of the superbug VRE - vancomycin-resistant enterococci - in more than a month. VRE was first identified at the QEH in late April.

"Staff have been actively working to stop the spread of these organisms in the hospital," QEH executive director Rick Adams said in a news release Wednesday.

"This outbreak has helped us to strengthen our infection prevention and control practices."

While the infection is officially under control, many of the measures put in place to rid the hospital of VRE will remain in place. The most noticeable of these will be continued restrictions on visiting. Those restrictions include

- Immediate family only.

- One visitor at a time per patient.

- No children under the age of 12.

- Children above the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

People will be required to use the antiseptic hand wash available at all entrances when coming in or out of the hospital, travelling between units, or going in and out of a patient's room.

Internal measures that will continue include disposable supplies such as gowns, and an increased focus on hand hygiene practices for all people within the hospital.

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