New hope for klebsiella baby
17/06/2005 22:22  - (SA)  

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Durban - The mother of one of the surviving klebsiella-infected babies at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Phoenix, Durban, hoped to take her baby soon, she said on Friday.

Aziza Denarain, the mother of baby Amish, who was transferred to Mount Edgecombe Private Hospital said one of the happiest days in her life was when she heard her baby cry.

"When I brought him to Mount Edgecombe Hospital he was so weak he couldn't cry and I nearly gave up hope. The day I heard him cry, I was so happy, it was beautiful."

This comes after a deadly outbreak at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Phoenix in which 20 babies picked up the bacterial infection. So far, 15 have died.

It is impossible to determine how long a baby would take to recover from a klebsiella infection, a Durban paediatrician said on Friday.

"Other patients should not be afraid to bring their babies here (to Mount Edgecombe)," said Dr Roshni Govender who was treating Amish.

Kept in isolation

She said Amish was in isolation and only one nurse was allowed to monitor him throughout the day.

"An isolation ward is essential, as well as gloves and masks. We practise strict aseptic techniques," she said.

She refused to be drawn out on why so many babies had died at Mahatma Gandhi, but explained that in an intensive-care unit patients were exposed to different levels of antibiotics.

"So, if the klebsiella bug is lurking around it will become used to the antibiotics and multiply."

Govender said that although it could take up to seven days to get the results from blood cultures which indicated if there was an infection, "we treat on speculation as well".

Was closely monitored

Lindiwe Khuzwayo of KwaZulu-Natal health department said the 15th baby died in 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," said Khuzwayo.

She said the baby was born on June 6 and was transferred from Gandhi to Albert Luthuli on the June 9.

The outbreak began on May 23.

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

- SAPA

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