Officials: Baby dies after getting infection at University Hospital

<p>A baby died after contracting an infection at University Hospital in Newark, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.</p>

News 12 Staff

Oct 26, 2018, 1:56 AM

Updated 2,372 days ago

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A baby died after contracting an infection at University Hospital in Newark, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.
Officials say that the department is investigating four cases of infection by the bacterial known as Acinetobacter baumannii in the neonatal intensive care unit at the hospital.
The baby had been born premature and died in September. The patient was transferred to another facility after contracting the bacteria at University Hospital, officials said.
The department says that the exact cause of death is still under investigation. It was notified about the infection Oct. 1 and since then has had teams at the hospital investigating.
They say that they have found several major infection control deficiencies particularly pertaining go hand hygiene and hand washing, overall cleanliness and a lack of intervention to prevent the transmission of bacteria.
A spokesperson for University Hospital said in a statement, “University Hospital takes patient safety, including infection control, very seriously. We have been in regular communication with the Department of Health and continue to work closely with them to address this issue as quickly as possible.”
Officials with the city of Newark say that the general public is not at risk.
University Hospital will be required to hire an infection control practitioner.
The news comes after the Department of Health announced that 19 people at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell were infected with adenovirus. At least seven patients, many of them children, have died.