Seven premature children infected by intestinal bacteria in Stavanger

illustration.New born children .Photo: pixabay.com

Half of the preterm children at the neonatal intensive care unit at Stavanger University Hospital are infected with the multidrug-resistant intestinal bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae.

– We have an outbreak of Klebsiella pneumoniae. That is an intestinal bacterium that we have had outbreaks before, but this time it is a kinder variant, says infection control consultant Jon Sundal at Stavanger University Hospital to NRK news.

Seven out of 14 children at the delivery ward are infected and isolation, according to the channel. The bacteria are only dangerous for premature children, who already have a weakened immune system.
– We have reported this to the national level to get extra resources from outside, and that is something we rarely resorted to, said Sundal.

According to the Communicable Diseases doctor, the outbreak is possibly related to the department being crowded at times.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today