Three babies die in Madrid hospital bug outbreak

MADRID, Mar 6 (Reuters) A Madrid hospital is investigating how a bacterial infection spread through its neo-natal intensive care unit, killing three premature babies in their incubators.

The 12th October University Hospital said yesterday one baby born two months early and weighing just one kg died on February 26 after catching the klebsiella pneumoniae bug, a common bacterium sometimes spread by contaminated medical equipment.

The same bug killed two more premature babies four days later and a fourth is seriously ill, though the hospital could not say whether it had been infected by the same bacterium which easily kills premature babies with little immunity.

Doctors have isolated 23 patients who came into contact with the bacterium and have assigned separate staff and equipment for ''clean'' and ''infected'' groups to halt the bug's spread.

The hospital said health ministry officials were investigating the outbreak.

Reuters SRS VP0438