Infants die of infections
MIAMI (AP) – Two infants in intensive care died at Miami Children’s Hospital last weekend after contracting infections. A third infant was also infected but is still alive, officials said Thursday.
Miami-Dade County Health Department is investigating why the infants died over the weekend in the hospital’s Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit. Lab results expected by Tuesday will help determine how the infections are related to the deaths, and whether the babies had the same infection, said Department of Health senior physician Vincent Conte.
“What is unusual is to have more than one kid die in consecutive days from an infection,” said Fermin Leguen, another doctor at the press conference.
“At the moment, it doesn’t look like it’s widespread,” Leguen added.
The hospital notified Conte on Monday, which a hospital spokeswoman said is not required protocol.
Conte said he visited the unit, where hospital officials “assured him everything that could be done is being done” to ensure the safety of patients. The unit was cleaned by hospital employees and a second time by an outside consulting firm.