It is “totally incorrect” to attribute the outbreak of KPC Klebsiella at Mater Dei hospital to a lack of hygiene and there is no cause for alarm, hospital medical superintendent Lina Janulova said yesterday.
“The bacteria’s source is still being determined. Since this bacterium is so potent and virulent, we have simply opted for extra precaution,” Dr Janulova explained.
Mater Dei’s medical team announced the outbreak last Friday, saying that eight patients within the Intensive Treatment Unit and three other patients within surgical wards had been identified as carrying the bacteria.
Most of the patients identified were simply carrying KPC Klebsiella, without exhibiting any symptoms of infection. Those exhibiting symptoms are reported to be doing well.
Mater Dei has introduced a series of infection prevention measures to contain and ultimately eradicate the bacteria. Patients in affected wards are being screened and hospital staff have been told to “pay more stringent attention to basic infection control precautions”. Entrance into ITU is also limited.
According to consultant anaesthetist Carmel Abela, samples of each of the infected patients’ bacteria have also been sent abroad for analysis.
The head of Mater Dei’s infection control unit, Michael Borg said the various infection prevention measures “all have one ultimate target – to make sure this doesn’t become endemic, as unfortunately MRSA has become over the past decade”.
Describing reports of KPC Klebsiella infection as “a totally new event for Malta,” Dr Borg explained how the outbreak had first been identified after isolating the microbe from a routine clinical sample.
“Every day we routinely assess all the laboratory microbiology results, primarily to look for MRSA but also to check for any new strains. The KPC Klebsiella bacterium immediately stood out.”
Once the first case was identified, the hospital immediately undertook an aggressive screening exercise in order to identify patients who had contacted KPC Klebsiella.
“Rather than waiting for patients to start manifesting symptoms of KPC infection, we were proactive and went out and looked for it ourselves,” Dr Borg said. “By identifying carriers early, we can try to avoid the condition deteriorating into a full blown infection and also limit the spread to other patients.”
Dr Borgtherefore insisted there was no cause for alarm. “Once patients are fit for discharge, they can go home without any precautions other than normal hygiene standards. Over time, KPC Klebsiella will then be replaced by other less resistant bacteria.”