Seattle – Virginia Mason Franciscan Health confirmed two more deaths among infected patients after the Klebsiella pneumoniae outbreak began in late 2022.
Klebsiella pneumoniae was first detected in October 2022 at Virginia Mason Medical Center. Virginia Mason said 33 people have been confirmed to be infected with the strain so far, with the most recent case confirmed on May 4.
Two recent deaths bring the total number of deaths since the start of the outbreak to nine.
RELATED: 7 deaths, 31 reported cases since germ outbreak found in Seattle’s Virginia Mason
Virginia Mason said she is working with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to identify the source of the infection.
Bacteria are naturally present in our environment and can be part of the bacteria that live in a healthy digestive system. However, if it gets into other parts of the body, it can cause infections. This usually only happens if you have other medical conditions that weaken your immune system.
The hospital said infections are common among sick and immunocompromised patients being treated for other illnesses.
“There is always a risk when you do something that is not normally in your body, such as surgery or an IV in a hospital,” said Dr. Arouge Simmons, Chief Medical Officer, Providence Sweden. Normal people don’t care, but I worry about it like anything else. ”
The bacterium has no definite incubation period, and public health officials say people can have the bacterium in their bodies for months without showing any symptoms, suggesting when and where someone might have been infected. said it was difficult to identify
Sidney Barsante, interim director of Virginia Mason Medical Center, said patients who test positive for the bacteria will be notified and treated if needed.
