CANCER KIDS IN BUG ALERT
Six patients moved out after water scare
YOUNG cancer patients have been transferred out of Glasgow’s children’s hospital after a repeated outbreak of bacterium linked to the water supply.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has drafted in experts from across the UK after six more cases were identified.
It follows an outbreak from January to June when a raft of measures were implemented to try to contain the problem.
CHILD cancer patients in Glasgow have been transferred to another hospital and an investigation launched after six more cases of a bacterium linked to the water supply were found in blood.
The Royal Hospital for Children experienced problems with its water supply in wards 2A and 2B from January to June this year, which saw a number of cases of bacteraemia identified.
The wards treat children with cancer who have very low immunity to infections.
Technical experts ordered that metal parts inside taps should be replaced with plastic ones, filters attached to the taps and the drains washed with a chlorine-based detergent.
The area was cleaned and there had been no instances of bacteraemia for several weeks.
However, six new victims were recently identified, who the health board said had now recovered and been discharged.
A total of 22 patients, including four bone marrow patients, have now been moved to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital while experts investigated.
The health board said the problem was a build-up of biofilm in the drains – the same as is found in domestic sinks.
This happened seven weeks after they were cleaned with hydrogen peroxide vapour.
A spokeswoman for NHSGGC said: “What we are seeing is a build-up of bio-film in the drains which is the same sort of bio-film we get in domestic sink drains.
“This build-up has happened only seven weeks after they were cleaned by HPV. We have worked with national experts in Scotland and sought advice from UK experts on the issue as we seek to find a permanent solution and understand why this has happened.
“These wards treat children with cancer who have very low immunity to infections so to let our experts in and put cameras down the drains we need to move the patients.
“Ward 2A has a combination of haemato-oncology patients and other cancer patients. Four bone marrow patients will move to the bone marrow adult war, 4B, in the adjoining Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
“The remainder of the 22 patients from ward 2A and the outpatients who attend ward 2B [a day ward with no inpatients] will move to another ward in the QEUH.
“Patient safety is the one, key, overriding issue and this temporary move will enable our technical experts to make thorough investigations.”