Nanaimo General Hospital is dealing with C. difficile outbreak. (viha.ca)

A B.C. health authority is working to contain a small outbreak of the C. difficile bacterium at a Vancouver Island hospital.

The Vancouver Island Health Authority declared the outbreak at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital on Friday.

Officials say the illness has affected four people on the sixth floor of the hospital.

Health authority spokeswoman Shannon Marshall said there were no new infections over the weekend, and they hope to declare an end to the outbreak in the coming days.

"This outbreak has been limited to four [people] and has not spread beyond those four cases," Marshall said.

"It occurred among patients in adjacent rooms who had a common care team, suggesting it was a breakdown of hand hygiene not related to housekeeping."

There have been several C. difficile outbreaks at the hospital over the past few years.

The last outbreak ended in August and affected 49 people. Two elderly people with underlying health conditions died. In 2008, an outbreak killed three people and about 60 others became ill.

The infection causes swelling and irritation of the large intestine. Symptoms can include diarrhea, fever and cramps.