Bacterial outbreak that killed 4 babies ‘now over’

Published on Thursday 16 February 2012 02:00

Outbreaks of bacteria that claimed the lives of four babies in Northern Ireland hospitals are now under control, the region’s health minister has said.

Confirming there had been no new cases of pseudomonas in infants since last month, Edwin Poots said a specialist team dealing with the outbreak would hold its final briefing today.

During a hearing with the Stormont health committee, it also emerged that, before the recent deaths, 26 people with the infection had died in Northern Ireland in the past four years.

But senior health officials stressed that most were elderly, had underlying health conditions and had not necessarily contracted the bug in hospital.