Seven children die from bacterial infection at Trinidad hospital

HOUSTON: Seven children have died in four days from a bacterial infection at Trinidad’s Port of Spain General Hospital, said the island’s health authorities.

The Port of Spain General Hospital is the main health care facility in the island’s capital. The outbreak occurred at the neonatal intensive care unit of the hospital, according to a release from the country’s North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA), responsible for the hospital’s management.

The children died from late-onset neonatal sepsis, a condition known for its rapid onset and potentially devastating consequences, said the NWRHA.

All the victims were children born at less than 32 weeks old and required intensive care support, the Trinidad health authorities said.

Laboratory investigations revealed there were three organisms in the ward, Serratia marcesens, ESBL Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Klebsiella aerogenes, said the NWRHA.

“Despite administering high-dose antibiotics and providing advanced and intensive cardio-respiratory support, the infection claimed the lives of some of these preterm babies,” the NWRHA said in a statement last night.