Newborn Dies From Blood Poisoned At Hospital

A newborn has died at St Thomas Hospital in central London while being treated in intensive care.

It is believed that the became infected by a suspected contaminated drip.

Public Health England (PHE) is examining 14 other cases of septicaemia in six hospitals across England.

The PHE said babies at six hospitals developed septicaemia from the Bacillus cereus bacterium, two of them in the same neonatal unit of the hospital where the baby died on the 01 June.

A St Thomas' Hospital spokeswoman said: "All babies on the unit are being screened for the bacterium as a precaution and enhanced infection control measures have been put in place to prevent any further cases.”

PHE said the cases are located in the neonatal intensive care units of Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust with four cases, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust with three cases, CUH Addenbrookes and Luton and Dunstable University Hospital with two cases each and another case in the Whittington Hospital.

It is thought that the infection are linked to a batch of a liquid called parenteral nutrition, which was fed to the babies through intravenous drips.

PHE incident director Professor Mike Catchpole said: "We have acted quickly to investigate this issue alongside the MHRA -Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency- and we have taken action to ensure that the affected batches and any remaining stock of this medicine is not being used in hospitals."

A Class 1 Drug Alert, the most critical warning which requires immediate recall, has been issued by the MHRA, although that the Dr Martin Ward Platt, of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said the blood poisoning caused by the bacteria is extremely rare.

London-based ITH Pharma Limited, which made the batch in question, had already issued a recall notice and is co-operating with the inquiry by the health officials.

(CVS)