Gothenburg children's hospital 'evacuated' as outbreak sees 16 staff members falling ill

A children’s hospital in Sweden has been forced to close one of its areas amid a mystery outbreak, which saw 16 staff members falling ill. Staff at Queen Silvia’s Children’s Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden, suddenly fell ill and began experiencing symptoms similar to allergic reactions.

They are currently receiving medical treatment, while the facility has reportedly been closed. According to Aftonbladet, one of Sweden’s biggest newspapers, the paediatric surgery 2 department, which receives children undergoing daytime surgery has now been moved after staff became ill while working. Officials are investigating the cause of the outbreak and working to prevent it from spreading further. Safety officer Taru Kontio, of the Swedish Healthcare Association, told local newspaper Göteborgs-Posten that staff had also experienced symptoms consistent with asthma.

Other symptoms reported include runny noses, itchy eyes, severe headaches, itchy scalps, eczema, fever, coughing, hoarseness and nasal congestion.

Other local publications have reported the hospital has been evacuated, whiile others say only effected wards have been closed in an effort to contain the incident.

Jonas Nordin, area manager for Västra Götaland’s property organization said a cause has not been identified yet.