KZN baby death toll rises
15/06/2005 16:48  - (SA)  

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No new klebsiella infections Urgent probe into baby deaths More babies have killer disease

Durban - The number of babies who have died in hospital in Durban following an outbreak of the klebsiella bacterial infection has risen to 15.

The health department's Lindiwe Khuzwayo said the latest infant died in the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Memorial Hospital on Wednesday morning.

"The baby had been in isolation at the hospital and was closely monitored so that there would be no chance of the infection spreading to other babies at the hospital," she said.

The baby was born on June 6 and was transferred from Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital to Inkosi Albert Luthuli on the June 9.

Since the start of the outbreak on May 23, 20 babies have tested positive for klebsiella infection and 15 have died.

Khuzwayo said one of the babies had been discharged and four others were currently undergoing treatment.

Last week Health Minister Manto-Tshabalala Msimang appointed a team to investigate the cause of the outbreak.

The outbreak might have been caused by babies being infected before entering the facility, mothers who came into the nursery to breastfeed their babies, staff who attend to patients, and hospital-acquired infections.

Parents were given R7 000 per child to help with funeral costs.

- SAPA

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