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| Sick children face 40-mile trip | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Critically ill children in the west of Scotland will be taken more than 40 miles to Edinburgh for intensive care after a bug hit the Glasgow unit. | |
| The unit at Glasgow's Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill has been closed to new admissions. | |
| Five children were found with different strains of Pseudomonas. | |
| A health board spokeswoman says children will be taken to the intensive care unit at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh. | |
| The bacterium was identified as part of the Glasgow hospital's screening programme. | |
| A health board spokeswoman said the unit was closed on Friday afternoon, after the discovery. | |
| It is traditionally a bug which infected people who have other things wrong with them Prof Hugh Pennington | |
| People with suppressed immune systems and those on ventilators are particularly vulnerable to the infection. | People with suppressed immune systems and those on ventilators are particularly vulnerable to the infection. |
| The hospital did not give the ages of those affected but the ward treats children up to the age of 13. | The hospital did not give the ages of those affected but the ward treats children up to the age of 13. |
| Their parents have been kept informed and strict infection control measures have been put in place. | Their parents have been kept informed and strict infection control measures have been put in place. |
| The spokeswoman said: "I can confirm that, as a precautionary measure, we are not admitting new patients to the unit. | The spokeswoman said: "I can confirm that, as a precautionary measure, we are not admitting new patients to the unit. |
| "Five children have tested positive for several strains of Pseudomonas. | "Five children have tested positive for several strains of Pseudomonas. |
| "Strict infection control measures have been put in place and the situation is being strictly monitored. | "Strict infection control measures have been put in place and the situation is being strictly monitored. |
| "We have given advice and assurance to the parents. None of the children are giving us cause for concern as a result of the bug." | "We have given advice and assurance to the parents. None of the children are giving us cause for concern as a result of the bug." |
| Produce pigment | Produce pigment |
| Microbiologist Professor Hugh Pennington said: "It is traditionally a bug which infected people who have other things wrong with them. | Microbiologist Professor Hugh Pennington said: "It is traditionally a bug which infected people who have other things wrong with them. |
| "It has been a problem over the years in burns units, for example. | "It has been a problem over the years in burns units, for example. |
| "It is a bug that lives in the environment. It is down in the drains and so on. | "It is a bug that lives in the environment. It is down in the drains and so on. |
| Prof Pennington said the bug was very common. | Prof Pennington said the bug was very common. |
| He added: "It can cause ear infections and one of the characteristics there is that the pus that comes out is a bluey-green colour because with this bug some of the strains produce a pigment." | He added: "It can cause ear infections and one of the characteristics there is that the pus that comes out is a bluey-green colour because with this bug some of the strains produce a pigment." |
| Prof Pennington said that the bug can thrive in damp conditions and on broken skin. | Prof Pennington said that the bug can thrive in damp conditions and on broken skin. |