Nursery bug blamed on bad hygiene

Published on 20/06/2012 00:00

HEALTH chiefs have revealed a nursery where eight people were infected as a result of an E.coli outbreak had “inadequate” standards of hand hygiene.

Three babies were taken to the hospital in Aberdeen following an outbreak of the potentially fatal infection at Rose Lodge Nursery in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, last month.

An investigation was launched into the outbreak by NHS Grampian Health Protection Team and Aberdeenshire Council Environmental Health Department.

They have concluded the infection was most likely brought into the nursery by a child and spread by “staff having failed to maintain an adequate standard of hand hygiene”.

A NHS Grampian spokesman said: “The investigation has shown the E.coli O157 bacteria infecting this child was transmitted to three children and two adults attending the baby room within the nursery.

“The most probable transmission route for the infection was through nursery staff having failed to maintain an adequate standard of hand hygiene in the baby room.”

A full report of the investigation will be compiled over the next few weeks. One baby remains in hospital following the outbreak.