Breaking: Insect repellent release leaves 11 staff sick at major SA hospital

Insect repellent release leaves 11 staff sick at Flinders Medical Centre Thu 23 Jul 2026 at 4:21pm , updatedThu 23 Jul 2026 at 4:30pm Eleven staff at a South Australian hospital have become unwell and a dozen emergency hospital beds have been closed, after the accidental release of an "outdoor insect repellent" inside the facility. The incident occurred at Flinders Medical Centre, one of Adelaide's largest public hospitals, around 2am. Authorities say no patients have become unwell, with 11 staff reporting "serious to minor" symptoms after the mosquito repellent was accidentally released. One staff member is in a serious but stable condition, with two being treated in the emergency department. SA Health said the substance was a mosquito repellent. Chief executive Robyn Lawrence said no patients had become sick, and that the staff who were unwell had suffered "predominantly respiratory symptoms". "My understanding is that it's an outdoor mosquito fogger-type repellent, like a spray, as I understand it," Dr Lawrence said. "Staff, as they do, were going through somebody's belongings to make sure there was nothing in there that was a safety risk to the patient when they were left alone. "In doing that, the lid was knocked off the repellent and it released itself." Loading [Image text:] FLINDERS MEDICAL CENTRE O