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Babies at Hospital found to Carry Super bug MRSA

by Medindia Content Team on Aug 24 2006 12:58 PM

Four babies being treated at the Royal Blackburn Hospital were found to have traces of the superbug MRSA on their skin, during routine tests.

Since then the children have been put in isolation. At the time the babies were being treated in the neonatal intensive care unit. Health officials have said that none of these children became ill as a result of the MRSA.

Admissions to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit from outside of east Lancashire were restricted for a few days, as a precaution.

The new Royal Blackburn Hospital was one of the largest public sector building projects in the North West.

With a building cost of about £113m to build, the new facility opened its doors to the East Lancashire public on 8 July.

Lynn Wissett, director of clinical care at the hospital, said: "The clinical condition of the babies is not affected and all are doing well. However, as a precautionary measure, these babies have been nursed in separate areas within the unit in accordance with infection control protocols.

"MRSA is a common germ that lives completely harmlessly on the skin and nose of about one third of the population.As with any infection, we have strict protocols in place to ensure that the spread of MRSA in our hospitals is limited as far as possible.

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"The situation is being continuously monitored by our Infection Control Team."


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