Children at Risk for Hospital-Acquired Infections

When children are hospitalized, they are susceptible to getting serious infections from exposure to the health care setting. In particular, rates of infection from bacteria called Clostridium difficile, or C Diff, are rising. These bacteria can cause debilitating diarrhea and are very hard to treat. C diff infection rates have been climbing across the board, but children who catch this bug are at risk of death or colon removal. Exposure to certain antibiotics seems to increase the risk for this kind of infection. Given the severity of this kind of infection, extra precautions should be taken to protect hospitalized children.
[Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, online Jan. 3, 2011]