Fraser Health is informing the public of an outbreak of Carbapenemase-Producing.

Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) on a medicine unit at Royal Columbian Hospital. Infection prevention and control measures are already in place; however, because of sustained transmission of the bacteria on this unit, we are now declaring an outbreak and have implemented further measures. “We have been preparing for increased cases of CPE for some time and have adopted aggressive infection control protocols to detect and isolate these cases in our hospitals,” says Dr. Elizabeth Brodkin, Executive Medical Director for Infection Prevention and Control at Fraser Health. Unlike some other infections, CPE colonization develops slowly, which means it will take several weeks before we can declare the outbreak over. In the meantime patients and visitors should not be discouraged from coming to the hospital for care or to visit.