Jamaican Ministry of Health awaits PAHO report on inquest into infant deaths
The Jamaican Ministry of Health and Welfare is awaiting a report from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on the discovery of a cluster of Klebsiella pneumoniae infections at Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH) that resulted in death of 11 babies between July and September.
Health and Welfare Minister Dr Christopher Tufton told the House of Representatives on Tuesday that PAHO had been asked to carry out an independent assessment of what might have been the issues, “out of an abundance of caution”.
He said PAHO was also asked to inspect other institutions, such as Spanish Town and Bustamante hospitals.
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“I am now awaiting PAHO’s final report,” Dr. Tufton said.
He confirmed last week that the babies had died of Klebsiella pneumoniae at VJH’s neonatal unit in Kingston.
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a bacterium responsible for a significant proportion of nosocomial infections. These include pneumonia and soft tissue infections, especially in immunocompromised people, such as infants or newborns.
Dr. Tufton explained that in July, the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) discovered a bacterial infection of JHV, which prompted an immediate investigation and notification from the department.
He said the investigation found a high patient-to-staff ratio and non-compliance with some infection prevention and control (IPC) measures.
The minister explained that a plan was then developed by a team from VJH, working with staff from SERHA, the Kingston and St. Andrew’s Department of Health, the National Public Health Laboratory and the IPC team from the department, to solve the problems identified.
This plan, Dr Tufton explained, involved confirmed and suspected cases, with new admissions placed in a separate area; activation of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to assess the circumstances surrounding the increase in cases and oversee relevant interventions to resolve the situation; increased monitoring to identify trends and patterns of incidence in the unit; redeploying clinical officers to provide support to the unit as demands increased; and the preparation of a list of critical needs for the urgent purchase of items to end the reuse of single-use items.
The plan also includes coordinating urgent swabbing and deep cleaning activities under the supervision of the local health department; assessment of routine cleaning protocols and implementation of supervised cleaning and disinfection activities; and retrain team members in PCI protocols with close and direct supervision by the charge nurse and unit PCI team.
“Towards the end of August, I was informed about the situation at VJH by the team from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. By then, the efforts seemed to have paid off, with a drop in the number of deaths. There were two deaths in August, two in September, compared to seven in July. There were no deaths in October,” Dr Tufton said.
Meanwhile, the Minister expressed his condolences to the family and loved ones of the babies who died from Klebsiella pneumoniae infections.
He said the loss of life is sad and unfortunate and should never be minimized, trivialized or politicized.
“I would also like to thank the VJH health team for their continued efforts to complete the corrective measures at the hospital, following the cluster of cases,” added Dr. Tufton.
CMC/
