Infection risk as doctors battle hospital bug

Stringent infection control measures have been put in place to contain the outbreak of a “highly transmissible” bacterial infection at Mater Dei Hospital.

Eleven patients, eight of whom are in intensive care, are carrying the bacteria Klebsiella pneumonia, or KPC, that has a very high resistance to antibiotics.

In most of the cases, the microbe was present on the body of the patient without causing any symptoms of infection, the health authorities said, adding that precautions were in place to stop the bacteria from spreading.

It is deemed to be more contagious than the notorious hospital superbug MRSA.

“Like other antibiotic resistant hospital infections, these strains are transmitted primarily by contact,” the hospital explained.

“All cases have been isolated to help contain the organism while targeted screening is in place to identify carriers early and ensure they are managed quickly.

“This is aimed at avoiding transmission to other patients and development of infection. The outbreak has no impact on patient admission and discharge, nor on visitors to the hospital.”

Sources said the hospital management had issued a circular to medical staff saying it was “essential that all health care workers, whether they are nurses, paramedics or doctors, pay even greater and more stringent attention to basic infection control precautions.”

The circular stressed hand hygiene before and after every patient contact. Aprons must be worn before examining a patient in the ITU and changed afterwards.

Additional precautions were put in place for visitors at the ITU and limits were set on the number of people who can visit a patient in the ITU or the infectious diseases ward. Medical students will not be allowed into these wards for now. A security guard was placed outside the ITU to ensure safeguards were being adhered to.

Doctors were also told to administer antibiotics judiciously to ensure the bacteria did not increase in resistance. A policy document was made available to all to familiarise themselves with the precautions and implement them.

What is Klebsiella pneumonia?

Klebsiella is a bacterium resistant to carbapenems, a type of “last resort” antibiotic. It can cause different types of health care-associated infections, including pneumonia, bloodstream infections, wound or surgical site infections and meningitis, according to the American Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

Klebsiella bacteria are normally found in human intestines where they do not cause disease. They are also found in human stool.

Klebsiella infections commonly occur among sick patients who are receiving treatment for other conditions. Patients whose care requires ventilators or intravenous catheters and those taking long courses of certain antibiotics are most at risk for Klebsiella infections.

Healthy people usually do not get Klebsiella.

In hospitals, Klebsiella bacteria can be spread through person-to-person contact. The bacteria is not spread through the air.