No germ threat at hospital
The Aglaia Kyriakou children’s hospital in Athens has denied a press report that two children have died in its intensive-care unit due to microorganisms that are resistant to antibiotic treatment. Andreas Constantopoulos, a pediatrics professor and director at the Aglaia Kyriakou, told Kathimerini that one of the two children, an 8-year-old boy, suffered from meningitis, which caused his death. The second child, a 13-year-old girl, was suffering from a severe immune deficiency and had been infected by a germ that is normally treatable. The doctor added that microorganisms that are resistant to antibiotics had been successfully treated by the country’s largest hospitals. There is no danger of contagious germs or of an epidemic, added Constantopoulos. Experts blame excessive consumption of antibiotics for weak immune systems. Greece is believed to have one of the highest rates of antibiotic consumption in the EU.
