Nanaimo Regional General Hospital has eliminated the latest outbreak of Clostridium difficile, after nearly five months of battling the infection that colonizes in a person's bowel and causes diarrhea, nausea and fever. The deadly disease infected 49 patients and was directly attributed to two patients' deaths since the outbreak was declared March 29. It also contributed to two other deaths. A total of 13 people who had C. difficile died during the outbreak. Overcrowding at the hospital hampered housekeepers' efforts and put an additional strain on nursing staff, who have to follow meticulous protocol visiting patients, according to infection control experts with the Vancouver Island Health Authority.The disease can be spread through hand contact or by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching your nose or mouth.