Poor hospital hygiene is blamed for deaths of three babies in Bremen

The deaths of three premature babies in a Bremen neonatal ward in August and October were caused by an outbreak of extended spectrum β lactamase (ESBL) Klebsiella pneumoniae from an unknown source and might have been prevented if hospital authorities had taken measures sooner to improve hygiene.

The neonatal ward at Bremen Central Hospital has been closed since early November, when the Robert Koch Institute, the central federal institution responsible for disease control and prevention, …