The ongoing outbreak of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been detected in more than ten of the country’s hospitals, in a total of three of the country’s four health regions, reports National Institute of Public Health (FHI).
The common bacterium, which thrives in water and humid environments, rarely causes disease in healthy people. But in the worst case, it can cause fatal infections for intensive care patients and people with weakened immune systems.
The outbreak was first detected in November last year, when three corona patients became seriously ill and died of blood poisoning with identical bacterial strains at the University Hospital of Northern Norway in Tromsø.
NIPH asked all health regions to investigate whether they were also affected by the outbreak. Infection has now been detected in another 15 patients in health in the south-east, and three in health in the middle of Norway.
– There is no definite connection between most patients who have been diagnosed with this bacterium, and further investigations are ongoing, FHI writes in a press release.
They further state that the working group works systematically to find routes of infection, and implement necessary infection control measures that can stop the outbreak.
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