A further three cases of blood poisoning in babies are identified by authorities, as the nine-day-old baby who died from a suspected contaminated IV drip is named.
A liquid food supplement delivered to the babies through was an intravenous (IV) drip was “strongly linked” to the death of one baby and the blood poisoning of 14 others on Wednesday.
The baby who died at St Thomas’ Hostpital, London, was named as Yousef Al-Kharboush, who was nine days old.
Public Health England (PHE) said that three more cases of septicaemia, or blood poisoning, have been identified in babies in neonatal units in England, bringing the total number of cases to 18. The babies, some of whom were premature, had all received batches of the IV liquid that is believed to have been contaminated.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued an urgent alert to recall the suspected drug, and PHE said it was confident that any remaining stock of this medicine is not being used in hospitals. An joint investigation into the suspected contamination is underway.
Of the new incidents identified on Thursday, one case was confirmed at Peterborough City Hospital in Cambridgeshire and two more likely cases in Essex are awaiting results at Southend University Hospital and Basildon University Hospital.
The baby who died at St Thomas’ Hospital was named on Thursday as nine-day old Yousef Al-Kharboush.
All of the other babies who first became unwell last week, are said to be responding to antibiotic treatment.
PHE said that no more cases have been identified since Tuesday 2 June, when the batches of the affected stock expired, but added in a statement: “however there is a possibility that babies who developed an infection last week or over the weekend will be reported as a result of our investigations.”
The authority said it has “strongly linked” the cases with a batch of IV fluid made by ITH Pharma.
The manufacturer said that the suspected contamination had been traced to a “sourced single raw material ingredient”, but would not give any details about the material it received from one of its suppliers.
Speaking outside the company’s north west London base earlier on Thursday, ITH Pharma Managing Director Karen Hamling told PA: “From investigations carried out so far, it would appear the potential contamination is linked to a single sourced raw material ingredient.
“As a mother, as a pharmacist, as someone who has worked for 30 years in healthcare, inside and outside the NHS, I am deeply saddened that one baby has died and 14 others have fallen ill from septicaemia.”
Video (4 June): Health and Social Care Correspondent Victoria Macdonald reports outside the St Thomas’ Hospital, London, where one baby died as a result of the infected drip.