Staff at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) are continuing to screen intensive care patients following an outbreak of a serious antibiotic-resistant infection. The Belfast Health Trust has confirmed that no new cases of the Acinetobacter baumannii strain have been reported in the past ten days.
The outbreak, discovered three weeks ago, has affected four patients in the ICU unit. Their families have been informed, and some remain in isolation. The main ICU area was closed over the weekend to facilitate a deep clean, and infection control measures are being closely monitored.
Brenda Creaney, Director of Nursing at the Belfast Health Trust, described the infection as serious but stressed that control measures are in place. “This is an infection which is present within the environment,” she told the BBC’s Nolan Show. “People who are well would be fine, but in an intensive care unit, patients are very vulnerable, which is why we’ve been taking stringent steps.”
The trust described the bug as an unusual multi-resistant micro-organism. While Acinetobacter baumannii is common in soil and water and can be carried harmlessly on the skin, it can cause severe infections in cancer patients and those in intensive care. The trust reassured the public that robust infection prevention and control measures are in place and that it is working closely with the Public Health Agency.
Visitors to the ICU have been asked to wash their hands when entering and leaving the unit to help prevent further spread. The trust continues to regularly test other patients for the bug, with no further cases reported to date.
