Two die after suspected norovirus outbreak

Health officials are reassuring the public a suspected norovirus outbreak at an Auckland rest home is being managed well and there is no reason to fear it has spread.

Two people have died and 15 people are unwell after a suspected norovirus outbreak at St Andrew's Village, a 14ha retirement centre in Glendowie.

The village has 180 residents in six wings, three of which gave hospital standard care.

The wing where the outbreak was detected has been isolated.

Of the 15 sick, 14 were residents and one was a staff member.

The first resident died on Monday and the second yesterday.

Auckland Regional Public Health Service clinical director Dr Julia Peters told NZPA it would not be known until next week whether it was norovirus but all signs pointed to it.

Dr Peters said the residents who had died were already extremely unwell before contracting the suspected virus.

"Everyone else is recovering and there have been no new cases since yesterday."

Staff at the retirement village were working closely with health authorities and doing everything they could to resolve the situation, she said.

"We're confident everything is being done."

The norovirus was extremely infectious but was common in the community, especially among the elderly and ill, she said.

There was no killer virus out among the community, she said.

- NZPA