Pseudomonas bug found in ALL NI neonatal units
Killer infection has claimed at least 26 lives in three years, it is revealed
Traces of the deadly Pseudomonas infection that has killed four babies this year in Northern Ireland have been found in every neonatal unit in the country, it has been revealed.
The worrying findings comes in the same week that ministers reported at least 26 other people have died from the bug in the country over the past three years.
Health Minister, Edwin Poots, confirmed this week that between 2008 and 2011, 26 deaths were found to be as a result of the Pseudomonas bug. A further two people are believed to have died over the past 12 months, and the figure does not include the three infants that died at the Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital in January and a fourth death at Altnagelvin Hospital in December.
And a review into the latest deaths has revealed Pseudomonas colonisation in water samples in a number of taps in all neonatal units across the country. Every fitting is now being replaced with ultra-violet technology, which is widely accepted to be effective in killing water-borne bacteria such as Pseudomonas .
While announcing a widespread review that will explore both the level of threat posed by water systems in hospitals, and the reaction of the various health bodies to the latest outbreaks, Potts said the number of deaths should not be taken out of context, adding that over the three-year period there had been 85 confirmed cases and most of those affected recovered. He added that there had been no more confirmed cases since 24 January.
The review team is due to publish its preliminary results and recommendations on 1 March, advising trusts on how to improve infection control standards. In the meantime deep cleans are underway at all neo natal units across Northern Ireland. In addition, only sterile water is being used in the direct care of infants.
Following the revelations it was also found that hospitals have no central system for monitoring cases.
In a radio interview this week, microbiology expert, Professor Hugh Pennington, said this needed to change, adding: “The information is being collected by the people who are looking after the patients. It is not as if they would need to do something new except set up a computer programme to collect the data and send out notices to the unit involved and there is not a very large number of them. They could just ring in if they have a case and given them the details. It is a very simple administrative task and I would sincerely hope they do it.”