Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness has received a report from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on special care nurseries at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital, Bustamante Hospital for Children, and the Spanish Town Hospital.
This comes after the reported outbreak of Klebsiella pneumoniae in the special care nurseries at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital in July that claimed the lives of 12 babies.
Klebsiella pneumoniae infections are common in Jamaican hospitals. It is a bacterium that causes a high number of hospital-acquired illnesses. These include pneumonia and soft tissue infections, particularly in immunocompromised individuals such as newborn children or neonates.
Following the incident, the health ministry requested technical assistance from PAHO regarding infection prevention and control measures in special care nurseries.
According to the health ministry’s review in October, staffing problems at neonatal facilities could have caused the increase in newborn fatalities linked to the bacterial outbreak.
The surge was also partly attributed to equipment issues and overpopulation coming up to the so-called crop season when births exceed the usual monthly average.
According to a statement from the health ministry on Thursday, the PAHO report describes the main findings of a technical mission conducted between October 14 and 22, as well as rapid assessments of infection prevention and control in the special care nurseries at the three health institutions.
The report is currently being reviewed by its technical team, and the key findings will be made public.
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