A THIRD baby died yesterday morning at Nicosia’s Makarios hospital after she was infected with Legionnaires’ disease contracted at a private hospital just before Christmas.
The baby girl died at 10.50am after she went into heart failure caused by hypoxia due to respiratory failure. She had developed the rare type of pneumonia from bacteria ingested at the Hippocration’s neonatal unit following her birth on December 18.
Eight other babies are still in the Makarios hospital. Six of the infants have been transferred to the paediatric ward, while two others are still in intensive care. Of the latter two, only one is on a ventilator, although both are still in incubators.
Makarios Hospital Paediatric Head Dr Andreas Hadjidemetriou said the little girl’s lungs had been unable to fight the infection, resulting in severe oxygen deprivation which led to her cardiac arrest.
“Unfortunately, she died this morning after being in critical condition for the past several days,” said Hadjidemetriou.
The two infants still in intensive care are under close observation, but the doctor said he hoped both would make a full recovery.
One of the two is still on a ventilator but its condition was stable, he said.
“We will continue to treat the infant, but it is still too early to tell [whether it will survive]. I want to believe that it will,” he said.
The general condition of the six infants transferred out of the ICU was “satisfactory”, he added.
Hadjidemetriou said it was unlikely that they would develop future complications caused by the lung disease.
“There is no cause for concern about something like that happening,” he said.
Meanwhile the State Laboratory now has the results of samples taken from the private hospital. The Attorney-general, however, refused to release the results in light of the ongoing investigation.
“There are a lot of other results linked to the investigation and a lot of services other than the State Lab are involved,” Petros Clerides said.
In view of this, the public will be kept in the dark until the entire network surrounding the tragedy is brought to light, he said.
Preliminary findings reported on Monday indicated that elevated levels of Legionella bacteria were found in the maternity ward and neonatal unit’s water system. This promoted the temporary closure of the hospital’s other inpatient wards.
The AG was speaking to reporters following a meeting to co-ordinate the investigation into the outbreak.
Representatives from both the Ministries of Health and Labour, including the Department of Labour Inspection, the State Laboratory, the Public Health Services, and members of the police attended.
Clerides said the point of the meeting was to ensure there was no overlap during the investigation.
He said the investigation was also looking into whether anyone was responsible for the outbreak and if any blame should be apportioned.
Police have already taken statements from Makarios hospital staff, the infants’ parents and other relatives. Statements are also expected to be taken from Hippocration’s management. Whether any legal action is taken against the private hospital will be taken up with the Legal Services.
Labour Inspector Leandros Nicolaides said the Hippocration had failed meet its responsibility as an employer to produce a written report outlining potential dangers involved in its running.
He said the private hospital had last been inspected at the end of 2005 and told in writing to prepare the report.
“The responsibility of every employer to evaluate dangers in the workplace doesn’t cease to exist [because we didn’t go back and carry out another inspection],” Nicolaides said.
All the children were born at the Hippocration hospital between December 17 and 27 and had been discharged healthy. All developed symptoms a few days later and were rushed to Makarios Hospital for treatment. The disease can only be contracted from a contaminated water system and is fatal in approximately five to 15 per cent of cases.
Reports said the Hippocration had called on the expertise of a UK specialist regarding the inspection of its water systems.
Health Minister Christos Patsallides said the hospital had been instructed to contact all patients hospitalised during the outbreak to ensure they had displayed no symptoms.
“There is no need for panic,” he said.
Patsallides also said more regular inspections would be carried out at clinics and hospitals and that no one would be allowed to shrug off responsibility, particularly when it was every hospital’s responsibly to ensure its equipment was in working order.
