EIGHT infants have been rushed to Makarios Hospital over the past few days suffering from an infection believed to originate from the Ippokration private clinic.
Two of the babies were yesterday in critical condition suffering from respiratory problems and pneumonia symptoms.
The state’s Health Services will today have the results of lab tests, carried out on samples taken from the Ippokration.
All nine babies were born last week at the clinic, which immediately suspended its maternity ward’s operations until the tests figure out where the infection has come from.
Health Minister Christos Patsalides yesterday said he would await the lab results before deciding on what to do next.
“Over the past few days, a number of infants were admitted to hospital with specific symptoms,” he explained to the CyBC. “The babies were transferred from a hospital of the private sector to the Makarios Hospital. Observing a number of infants arrive with the same symptoms, the head of the Makarios’ Paediatric department voiced his first concerns over whether the virus had come from the specific clinic.”
This, said Patsalides, put the state’s services on alert. “The private clinic was informed, which postponed its operations until the necessary checks were carried out. We are now carrying out lab tests to find the source of the problem, while at the same time the ward at Makarios Hospital has been reinforced with extra staff.”
The minister added, “All the specified measures have been taken to deal with this very difficult and serious phenomenon, which initially appears to have come from a hospital virus or bacterium, and which needs to be dealt with immediately.”
Makarios Hospital, said Patsalides, had also taken measures to ensure the infection doesn’t spread to the rest of the hospital and turn into an epidemic.
“In the past days, eight infants were taken to hospital. Two of them are in serious condition, but we are hoping that everything goes well with the efforts of our doctors,” said Patsalides.
The minister assured the public that all the necessary measures would be taken as soon as the reason behind the infection was clarified.
“The matter is being closely monitored; our fear and concerns is that it doesn’t turn into something worse, so everyone must work together,” said Patsalides. “I am also on edge waiting for the results and see what measures the experts propose we must take,” the minister added.
The head of the Ippokration maternity ward, Christos Riris, yesterday said the infection could be down to the clinic’s air-conditioning system.
“The matter is very serious, no one will disagree with that,” said Riris. “I have heard the minister, I agree that it is an infection, but we have no idea what it is.”
He said it could be one of two things: either a viral infection, which was transferred to the infants either by a doctor, the staff, or visitors or parents. “This has nothing to do with medical negligence of course. The second suspicion is whether it was some other bacterium from somewhere else. We are trying to locate it.”
Riris added, “It could be in the air-conditioning systems. And because the conditioning systems are operating on warm air, it could be the germ called Legionnaires’. This is our problem.”
According to Riris, as soon as the clinic was informed on the cases, he personally ordered the closure of the maternity ward and children’s area, while samples were taken for tests and the area was disinfected.
“We are cooperating with the Health Ministry to find the root of the problem,” Riris explained.
He said Health Ministry and Health Services officials would be visiting the clinic today to take samples from the air conditioners and water to see if it has something to do with it. “If it does, we will deal with it. We are the first who want the issue to be clarified.”
