Jorge Barrera
Northern News Services

Cambridge Bay (Feb 11/02) - Three of seven babies flown to Yellowknife after contracting a serious lung infection are back in this community and the brief outbreak has stopped, said the community's head nurse.

"We'd never had so many at once," said Darlene Kearney, head nurse in Cambridge Bay.

Kearney said the outbreak stopped on Jan. 31 with the last baby medevaced to Stanton Regional Hospital in Yellowknife.

During the last week of January the health centre in Cambridge Bay faced a rash of respiratory syncytial virus in seven babies under a year old.

The centre medevaced the babies to Stanton Regional Hospital to receive continuous oxygen treatment for RSV because the community lacked the oxygen supplies.

The virus can cause bronchitis and pneumonia in infants, said Kearney.

She advises parents to keep young children away from crowded places.