Yellowknife (Jan 19/07) - Beds are starting to open up at Stanton Territorial hospital's pediatrics ward, as a viral outbreak in Nunavut that swamped the unit begins to wane.

"Things seem to be calming down," said Sylvia Haener, the hospital's chief executive officer.

The pediatrics unit now has 12 patients, all from the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut, and two should be discharged in the next couple of days.

Haener said no new cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have been diagnosed, which is typical of the virus' course.

"It seems to be waning quite quickly," she said.

Haener said there have been very few local cases of RSV.

The virus causes cold- or flu-like symptoms in older children and adults, but can cause severe breathing difficulties in infants, especially those under the age of 17 months.

The hospital still encourages people to wash their hands frequently, especially in households with children, and to avoid smoking indoors as this can also make symptoms of RSV worse.