Mainz, Germany (dpa) - Prosecutors in the German city of Mainz
have begun an investigation into possible negligence charges after
two newborn babies died after receiving contaminated nutrition,
officials said Monday.
Two babies died at the Mainz University Hospital on Sunday, a
third was in a critical condition by Monday and a further eight had
suffered effects of a bacteria-contaminated nutrition infusion.
Klaus Peter Mieth, the chief prosecutor in Mainz, said in a press
conference that the possibility that the deaths and deterioration of
the childrens' medical conditions had been caused by negligence had
to be examined.
However Mieth added that the two deaths had not yet been confirmed
as being exclusively caused by the bacterial infection.
The medical director of the clinic, Norbert Pfeiffer, said that he
was very concerned about the health of a third child. "The child is
in any case very weak," he said.
Both the babies who died on Saturday had been in an intensive-care
ward because they were seriously ill before the infusion.
According to the hospital, the infusions had been individually
prepared for each patient in the hospital pharmacy department using
components from a commercial supplier.
"We're utterly shocked," Pfeiffer, said on Sunday. "A hunt for the
exact cause in the supply chain is going on now." He did not identify
the bacteria present in the drips.
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