Stressed staff, poor hygiene implicated in baby deaths

A killer bug outbreak at Wellington Hospital in early 2005 has been linked to stressed staff, a lapse in infection control and overcrowding.

The Dominion Post, quoting internal and external reviews, reported experts as saying the staphylococcus aureus outbreak that caused the deaths of three premature babies was "an outbreak waiting to happen".

Gentamicin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (GRSA) was first identified in the unit in April 2004. However, a full outbreak was not declared until a year later.

Once the outbreak was declared, hospital staff were extraordinarily effective in controlling the outbreak, the reviews said.

But poor washing facilities, stressed staff and a history of overcrowding may have made it easier for the bug to spread, they said.

- NZPA