TORONTO – A mysterious respiratory illness at a Toronto nursing home claimed six more lives Wednesday, raised the death toll to 16, officials said.
The cause of the outbreak at the Seven Oaks Home for the Aged remains unknown, although officials insisted the illness was winding down and was confined to the nursing home.
Thirty-eight people remained hospitalized with the illness, and officials fear many of them are too frail to fully recover. Another 88 residents, employees and visitors have been affected.
“This is not SARS,” Dr. David McKeown, the city’s medical officer of health, said in reference to the devastating epidemic two years ago, which claimed 44 lives in Canada’s financial capital and largest city. More than 8,000 people worldwide contracted the illness and 774 people died.
“The outbreak is confined to residents and staff and people closely associated with this one facility, so it’s not a general public health risk,” he said.
All the deaths have been among the mostly frail and elderly residents, he said.
The latest victims were three men, ages 84, 75, 89, and three women, ages 96, 92, 85.
Officials have ruled out SARS, avian flu, Legionnaire’s disease and influenza A and B.
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