Results of tests on water samples from a private clinic in Nicosia, taken to trace the source of the legionella bacteria that infected a newborn baby, are expected on Thursday, a microbiologist at the State Health Services Organisation (SHSO) said on Wednesday. The baby remains in a critical condition in Makarios Hospital.
The baby’s condition had not changed as of Tuesday, SHSO microbiologist and doctor Michalis Mendris said, adding that he had not yet received an update on Wednesday. The newborn is still being treated in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit. Mendris said he too was hoping the baby would pull through and recover.
The State General Laboratory will announce the results, Mendris said, adding that the investigation remained open. The authorities are waiting for analyses of two points identified during a preliminary inspection by the Health Services.
The main aim of the investigation is not only to find legionella in the clinic’s water supply but, above all, to identify its source and how it reached the baby, he said. “We want to find out how it got to the baby,” he said. That meant establishing where in the network the concentration was highest and where it was most dangerous.
Measures have already been taken at the clinic, and new samples will be taken to see whether they have worked, Mendris said. Next week is expected to be decisive in assessing whether the measures are effective and whether the clinic can safely reopen. Everyone wants the new tests, including the clinic, because negative results would mean it is safe, he said. Checks will continue, and the clinic will be monitored until its facilities are confirmed safe.
Mendris said legionella growth is linked to conditions in water pipes. Stagnant water, the wrong temperature or a poorly maintained tap can help legionella already present in hospital water networks multiply and reach concentrations considered somewhat more dangerous.
Elevated legionella levels at hospital taps are not unusual, he said, and all hospitals record them from time to time. That does not mean they are dangerous or call for very strict measures, as there are guidelines and action is taken according to the levels found.
Asked whether checks so far pointed to a problem at a specific point or across a wider part of the clinic, he said results can differ from tap to tap. In most cases some taps test positive and others do not, which is common in most hospitals, he said.
(information from CNA)
