No bacterial outbreak killing infants

HEALTH Minister Terrence Deyalsingh says it is not a bacterial outbreak resulting in the deaths of newborn babies at Mt Hope’s maternity ward, but a combination of factors, including a high number of births and babies being born prematurely and getting infections from their mothers.

He was responding to a question in the Senate Tuesday from Opposition Senator Khadijah Ameen, who asked what urgent measures were being put in place to address the problem of the newborn deaths reportedly caused by a bacterial outbreak.

Deyalsingh said the country was coming to the end of the time of year when there was a surge in deliveries after Carnival and there was also an unusual occurrence of many mothers giving birth prematurely. He said in both San Fernando and Mt Hope women were giving birth as early as weeks 25-30, to babies weighing as little as a pound.

“So when you have these severely pre-term deliveries, low birth weight and in some cases they (a couple) are being born with infections transmitted from the mothers these babies unfortunately have little chance of survival. Those are the three main reasons why we have a slight uptick (in newborn deaths).”

Deyalsingh said the director of women’s health had told him not to go into detail, in an effort to preserve the dignity of the mothers and not to give out too much information on the specific infections, because it might infringe patient privilege.

Ameen asked what steps were being taken to address the issue.

Deyalsingh firstly told Ameen he was glad she was fine, given her recent accident; Ameen barely avoided death this week when another car collided with hers while she was driving along the Priority Bus Route.

On the question, he said the ministry has expanded neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), doubling the space in San Fernando and in Mt Hope so there is more space between the cots holding the babies, in excess of the World Health Organisation’s recommendation of two and a half feet between cots. He explained this was to minimise the transmission of infection from one baby to another.

He said the ministry has also stepped up infection control, revisited all protocols, retrained, and implemented limited access to NICUs all over the country with the rash of infections “because what is happening in one could happen in another.

“And we are doing everything possible to give these little babies a fighting chance. But unfortunately sometimes circumstances stack up against them, where they have an undeveloped respiratory system. Could you imagine a one-pound baby being born with an infection? That baby’s chances of survival...are very, very slim.”

Ameen asked if other hospitals outside Mt Hope were being equipped to handle that type of infection. Deyalsingh said Sangre Grande Hospital never had an NICU – which is an indictment on the country, not a government – but had one now. He said Port of Spain Maternity Hospital had an NICU and in the past year it has been expanded.

“Now it is one of the most modern NICUs in the Caribbean.”

He also said San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) should have had a brand new NICU 20 years ago but “we as a country failed SFGH, not any political party.” He said the ministry was taking steps to build a brand new NICU in San Fernando which will be almost as big as the one in Port of Spain.

Newsday asked Deyalsingh how many recent newborn deaths had occurred, but he said he did not have that information at the time.