The Cape Breton Regional Hospital is dealing with another outbreak of C. difficile after three patients contracted the potentially fatal bacteria.

There have been sporadic cases of C. difficile across the Cape Breton District Health Authority since an outbreak early in the year and it caused or contributed to the deaths of seven patients in various health care facilities.

But officials say the latest outbreak is different from the previous one, because all of the affected-patients share the same five-bed unit at the hospital in Sydney.

"In this case, it is unfortunate that we are seeing an outbreak with three patients at this time in one small area," says Greg Boone, a spokesman with the Cape Breton District Health Authority. "But we are working to control it as best we can."

Brian Young's elderly mother has been hospitalized since she suffered a debilitating stroke in the spring and says he is concerned the hospital is not doing enough to prevent or control the spread of C. difficile.

Young says his 88-year-old mother, Julia, has been diagnosed with the infection three times since she arrived at the hospital, and the latest diagnosis was two weeks ago.

"You can't have staff come and visit my mother, or visit "John Q. Public" next door with C. difficile, leave her bedside and go to somebody else's," he says. "You've got to stop at the sink. You've got to wash with soap, and wash vigorously. Then you can go on and do your thing."

The health authority apologized last week for not doing enough to limit the outbreak, which involved 64 cases in the past year. This time, the hospital says the outbreak will be easier to control.

"In one way, that is a help for us," says Boone of the cases being concentrated in one area. "We can concentrate all our efforts on one place at one time to try and limit the spread."

The hospital says staff are being monitored for compliance with infection control policies and cleaning has been stepped up. Visitors restrictions are also in place to try and stop the spread of the bacteria.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Randy MacDonald