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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Baby unit shut over MRSA outbreak | Baby unit shut over MRSA outbreak |
| (41 minutes later) | |
| A hospital in Lancashire has closed its neonatal unit after six babies tested positive for a strain of MRSA. | A hospital in Lancashire has closed its neonatal unit after six babies tested positive for a strain of MRSA. |
| The East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust has said that none of the affected babies at the Royal Blackburn Hospital are seriously ill. | The East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust has said that none of the affected babies at the Royal Blackburn Hospital are seriously ill. |
| Those being treated for the PVL bug, which is a rare type of MRSA, are being kept in separate areas. | |
| "Everything is being done to eradicate this strain of MRSA from the unit," the trust said. | "Everything is being done to eradicate this strain of MRSA from the unit," the trust said. |
| The unit was shut when the infection was first identified in mid-September, but the closure has only just been made public. | The unit was shut when the infection was first identified in mid-September, but the closure has only just been made public. |
| We did not want to raise alarm or concern within the community Rineke Schram, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust class="" href="/1/hi/health/4943496.stm">Quick guide: MRSA | |
| Rineke Schram, medical director at the trust, said babies were being screened to see if they are carrying MRSA on their skin. | |
| She said: "The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit will be reopened once we are sure that all the babies are returning a negative result when they are screened for carrying the MRSA organism on their skin. | |
| "We are confident this will be as soon as possible but we are unable to say exactly when that will be. | "We are confident this will be as soon as possible but we are unable to say exactly when that will be. |
| "However, as there have been no new outbreaks and the small number of babies affected is getting even smaller by the day, the NICU unit have done an excellent job in keeping the incident contained." | "However, as there have been no new outbreaks and the small number of babies affected is getting even smaller by the day, the NICU unit have done an excellent job in keeping the incident contained." |
| 'Worrying time' | |
| Mrs Schram said she understood this was a was a worrying time for people who had spent time on the ward. | |
| She said anyone who had any concerns should contact the hospital for advice. | |
| Defending the fact that the closures had only just been made public, she said the trust did not want to cause alarm. | |
| "The particular strain of MRSA in the unit has only just been identified and until we were in possession of all the facts we did not want to raise alarm or concern within the community," she said. | |
| "It was also very important we spoke to the parents of the babies first, to keep them up to date." |