Cross-Infection Is Problem In Hospitals

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28951, 20 July 1959, Page 18

Cross-Infection Is Problem In Hospitals

"The Press" Special Service

WELLINGTON, July 19. In line with world research, a concern at present of the National Health Institute in Wellington is the problem of crossinfection in maternity and surgical units in New Zealand hospitals. It had always been a worldwide problem where there was institutional treatment of the sick, said Dr. H. T. Knights, epidemiologist at the institute. The position had immeasurably improved over the last 70 to 8J years. Of recent years more attention had been given to cross-infection since it had been “unmasked” by the use of modern drugs. Cross-infection had lurked behind more serious conditions which were now responding to these drugs. “We now realise that, transmission of this staphylococcal infection is largely through the air and that the necessity for clean air is as important as clean water,” said Dr. Knights. The effects of sprays on the air in hospitals were being tried to reduce the bacterial content. Rooming-in The best way of avoiding cross infection in maternity units was by the new rooming-in technique. By this method, babies were not in the heavy air contamination in nurseries. Bacteria breathed in by the

baby in communal nurseries were communicated to the mother. Thus the path of spread was from baby to mother or to other babies. More attention was being paid to ventilation in theatres in New Zealand hospitals. .The air was now filtered, washed, humidified, warmed and forced into the theatre at pressure. This ensured that infected air was not drawn in. Dr. Knights explained that cross-infection was one which might be developed within the hospital.. This was a closed community to which susceptible persons were being added constantly. That was the ideal set-up for perpetuating an infection. With the rapid “turnover” of patients most hospitals today could not have vacant beds for long. So, techniques had to be modified to meet the new demand. Changed Reaction Into the picture came the changed reaction of the body to bacteria, rendering it more liable to invasion. The free use of antibiotics — penicillin-like drugs—had meant a change in the fact that those organisms which were sensitive to these drugs were killed off. Those which were not had a free field of operation. Dr. Knights as part of his work travels through the country to examine problems relating to cross-infection and compare the findings in New Zealand with what are available from overseas. Mrs J. Lange, senior bacteriologist at the institute, demonstrated how she sorts the various types of staphylococci to test if they are the epidemic type or not. In an endeavour to track down the source of cross-infection in hospital wards even blankets and dust will be tested.