Another norovirus outbreak at Royal Inland Hospital.

The Interior Health Authority says the latest outbreak started on Thursday at the 7-North medical ward at the hospital.

Infectious disease specialist Doctor Edith Blondel-Hill says seven people have become sick since then, including three staff and four nurses.

“One of the patients had had a medical emergency. As you know with norovirus, you can get quite dehydrated with the vomiting, and this particular patient had a fainting episode. And the nurses who rushed to the patient’s aid subsequently came down with the norovirus.”

Blondel-Hill says the most recent cases were reported on Saturday, and the outbreak at RIH could be lifted by Wednesday.

A previous outbreak of the norovirus at Royal Inland Hospital was declared over on Feb. 17, 11 days before this one happened. During that outbreak, at least 144 people fell ill with norovirus symptoms between RIH and the Hillside Psychiatric Centre on the same property.

Blondel-Hill says the two outbreaks are not connected, noting the length of time in between is too long for the bug to “still be hanging around.”

She adds the best way to prevent the spread of norovirus is constant hand washing.