One in 12 kids catches infections in hospital

Almost one in 10 children admitted to hospitals catch infections mostly respiratory during their medical care that made them sicker rather than better a British study has found

A survey of more than 50000 patients admitted in more than 100 hospitals in UK has found that one in 16 children had an infection associated with their health care

Most of the hospitalacquired infections were respiratory such as pneumonia urinary tract infections and surgical site infections according to the study carried out by UKs Health Protection Agency in England last October and November

The survey included infections in children for the first time and found that one in 20 aged under 15 had an infection rising to one in five of very sick children

Susan Hopkins a health care epidemiologist and author of the report said Some of these children are very sick and have serious underlying conditions which are expected to limit their life expectancy

Unfortunately the more procedures they are exposed to the greater the likelihood they will develop an infection Hopkins was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph

According to the report bugs were most common in the very young with 82 per cent or one in every 12 of children aged between one month and 23 months being infected and the elderly with 74 per cent of those aged 65 to 74 carrying infections

While the overall number of infections is in decline the researchers warned that many bugs are becoming resistant to antibiotics due to overprescription

Of the bugs identified one in eight were resistant to common antibiotics including organisms such as Ecoli which can live in the gut and be transferred to the bloodstream during surgery or when tubes are inserted into the veins

Date : 24 May, 2012
Reference : http://www.deccanherald.com/content/251715/one-12-kids-catches-infections.html

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