由 home-healthhaven 
For the first time, we’re getting a deeper understanding of how an untreatable superbug, which claimed six lives, was contained. Doctors were initially baffled as this drug-resistant germ made its way through the National Institute of Health (NIH), America’s leading research hospital in Washington, DC.
The outbreak began when a patient was discovered to be carrying a superbug called KPC (Klebsiella Pneumonia). KPC is highly resistant to drugs, including one of the most powerful antibiotics, Carbapenem, causing significant panic in the hospital. The NIH is unique because it only treats patients involved in government-funded research and has fewer than 250 beds. Despite its small size, KPC spread over six frightening months.
By the end of this period, a new patient was contracting the bug every week. Altogether, 18 people were infected by KPC, and 6 of them died from blood infections. Additionally, five patients died from the illnesses that initially brought them to the hospital.
The outbreak started in June when a patient with a rare lung disease was transferred from New York. When it was found that she had KPC, she was immediately isolated. Her room was thoroughly decontaminated, and anyone entering had to wear protective suits and gloves. Despite these precautions and regular tests on other patients, the superbug wasn’t detected again at that time.
After the patient left, three weeks later, another patient was found to have contracted KPC. This was puzzling since the two patients were in different wards, and strict safety measures had been followed.
The NIH then activated emergency quarantine procedures and embarked on intense cleaning processes, including replacing plumbing. Even so, they found that the bug could survive in ventilators and drains.
Normally, Klebsiella can live in the human intestine and is managed by a healthy immune system. However, this new, stronger version is almost entirely drug-resistant. It spreads quickly among sick patients, often without noticeable symptoms, and can cause severe illnesses like meningitis and pneumonia.
Scientists and doctors at the NIH shared this information to serve as a warning to other hospitals worldwide. Nearly 100,000 lives are lost each year due to hospital-based infections, but many hospitals are reluctant to discuss these issues due to the fear of causing panic or attracting negative attention.