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Scotland’s health secretary has said she believes infection control is good enough at a hospital where two patients died after contracting an infection linked to pigeon droppings.
Jeane Freeman has ordered a review of the design, build, handover and maintenance of the flagship £842 million Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow as investigations continue.
The Cryptococcus bacteria, a fungal infection linked to pigeon droppings and soil, was found to be a contributory factor in the death of a child, while a second patient was also found to have an infection caused by inhaling the fungus Cryptococcus, although the health secretary has said it did not contribute to their death.
Pigeon droppings found in a plant room on the hospital’s roof are believed to be the source of the problem and investigations are continuing to establish how the bacteria entered a closed ventilation system.
The issue comes after problems with bacteria in the water supply at the adjoining Royal Hospital for Children last year which led to child cancer patients being moved.
In an interview on BBC Good Morning Scotland, Ms Freeman was asked: ‘Do you believe infection control is good enough at this hospital?’
She replied: ‘Yes I do. Yes I do and I think the statistics show that. The overall infection rate in the Queen Elizabeth is 4 per cent, the average across Scotland is 4.9 per cent. It is at least on par with all the other hospitals across Scotland and in fact doing a bit better.
‘But infection happens in hospitals. That’s why we have the Scottish Patient Safety Programme that has significantly reduced infection rates across our hospitals and healthcare settings over the last 10 years or so.
‘What you need to be able to do though is have those additional infection control measures to put in place as they have done at the Queen Elizabeth, with the HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters, with the anti-fungal protection for particularly vulnerable patients in the area where the Crypotoccocus infection was discovered.’
Ms Freeman said she hopes to announce the remit of the review by the end of the week.
She could not give a timescale for how long the review will take and said that while she wants it to reach its conclusions and recommendations as quickly as possible, it needs to take long enough to ensure it is ‘robust’.
She said: ‘There have been a number of instances where parts of the building, the fabric of the building, have been less than we would want it to be.
‘Some of those don’t directly affect patients but obviously our primary concern is that this building is, in its fabric, in its internal infrastructure, is absolutely fit for purpose, so that is why I’ve ordered the review and made sure that we will have independent expert advice to that review.
‘It will look at everything from the design, the construction, the commissioning and the continuing maintenance to try and identify what more might need to be done to ensure that the building is fit for purpose, but also whether there are any particular lessons for us as we go on to instigate other builds of healthcare facilities across Scotland.
‘The review of the Queen Elizabeth will have significant importance for all the new build that we’re undertaking.’
Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Monica Lennon said: ‘The Health Secretary says infection rates are on a par with other hospitals in Scotland but this is supposed to be a world-leading hospital.
‘The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital was an £842 million investment by the Government – the fact we are now having a review into its infrastructure suggests something has gone very wrong.
‘The review must answer honest questions about what has gone wrong here.’
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What do you do when birds poop all over your property?
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Pigeon droppings could today still be seen on the ground outside a scandal-hit hospital where two patients died after contracting a fungal infection.
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There are some weird things that happen in Florida – after all, that is the foundation of the entire Florida Man subReddit, so is it really that shocking that a video has surfaced of a man catching pigeons in a net? Probably not for most.
Strategic retreat is sometimes the best offense. Citizens of Hyderabad are doing just that as ballooning pigeon population has taken over the city. “We are shelling out ₹2,000 per apartment to get the netting done. As we have 90 apartments, we have bargained the price down to ₹ 9 per sq ft,” says G. Ravi Kiran, a resident of an apartment complex in Hyderguda. “We have been forced to go for the netting as almost all the surrounding apartments have fixed the mesh which has lead to a rise in the number of pigeons frequenting our apartment,” he says. While feeding places have multiplied throughout the city over the past few years, more and more pigeons are taking over unlikely roosting places. “We found a pair and a small chick on the V-junction of a drainage pipe. There was almost no nest except a few sticks,” says Nirmala K., who lives in an apartment complex in Rama Krishna Nagar.
A driver has been hit with a £158 ($200) parking fine after his valid permit was covered by pigeon poo.
Pigeon droppings were a contributing factor to an infection which led to a child’s death at Scotland’s flagship hospital.
In just a few weeks, an Alberta man and a pigeon that showed up at his ranch have become inseparable.
Scott Coltart, 30, and his wife Lisa received a £158 fine despite Scott running out into the street in his boxers to show him the valid permit. He said: ‘If you just moved your head slightly, you could clearly see the permit was in date. ‘Regardless, I immediately wiped the poo away but the man said it was too late and gave us the ticket. ‘He was very rude as he slapped it on the windscreen and just said to take it up on appeal.’ The couple, who have two young children, immediately appealed the ticket with the appropriate evidence – showing their permit was valid. Blind veteran, 97, begs to be allowed to die at home They claimed they received a response which acknowledged the ‘unfortunate’ situation but the fine was upheld by Southend Council, Essex. Scott added: ‘Again, we thought this was ludicrous and vowed to fight it all the way to court. We appealed a second time even though we knew if we lost, the fine would increase.’ The couple, from Southend, claim they heard nothing and assumed they had won until an enforcement notice arrived demanding they pay £158. The letter warned that bailiffs would visit their home if the amount was not paid in full. Lisa added: ‘I immediately got in touch with a solicitor to sort it out but there’s no way that can be done before the sum has to be paid on January 22. ‘The only thing I can see we can do is pay it but we shouldn’t have to. We have two young children and we’re both self-employed. ‘We work so hard for our kids – we can’t have bailiffs coming to our home. Bird poo is not something we can control. ‘The fine says we had an invalid permit but that just isn’t true and our street is checked several times a day.’ A spokesman for Southend Council said: ‘We are currently discussing this claim with our contractor and will be in touch with the residents directly.’
A chronic problem for spies operating in enemy territory is transmitting their findings to their home base. The problem was especially acute in World War II Europe, where German signal-detection technology, based on triangulation skills, took a deadly toll on agents.
When a scruffy pigeon first flew onto the Germscheid family ranch near Entwistle, Greg didn’t know what to think.
On Saturday, two patients died after contracting a fungal infection linked to pigeon droppings.
A former health secretary has called for an inquiry into the deaths of two hospital patients who contracted a rare infection linked to pigeon droppings. Alex Neil said the cause of the deaths and the handling of the cases by Scotland’s biggest health had to be looked into. The Cryptococcus infections have been linked to the excrement of birds that got into a non-public area at the flagship Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGCC) has launched a probe into the death of one patient, with the cause still to be determined. The health board said the second patient affected – who was elderly – died of an unrelated matter. The Scottish government confirmed the infection was reported in December. Mr Neil told BBC Scotland: “I think there has to be an outside inquiry by experts to find why this happened in the first place, secondly how it has been handled by the health board and, thirdly, what precautions need to be taken for the future.” The SNP MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, who was health secretary between 2012 and 2014, questioned why it took three weeks for the news to be made public. He added: “There are confusing messages coming out of the health board so they need to clarify the situation and do so as a matter of urgency.” “There are confusing messages coming out of the health board so they need to clarify the situation and do so as a matter of urgency” Alex Neil A non-public room, thought to contain machinery, has been identified as a likely source. Measures have been taken to keep pigeons out of the area while portable units that filter the air continuously have been installed. A Scottish government spokesman: “Our primary concern, and that of the Health Board, remains the safety and wellbeing of the patients and their families at the hospital. “There is an on-going review of two isolated cases of an unusual fungal infection within the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital site, which were detected in December 2018.” A spokesman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board said an investigation remains ongoing. “These two cases of infection were identified in December and an incident management team was formed. “A likely source was identified and dealt with immediately. “The small number of paediatric and adult patients who are vulnerable to this infection are receiving medication to prevent potential infection and this has proved effective. “Air sampling was carried out and HEPA filters were brought in on 10 January to specific areas before conclusive results were available. “Results identifying the organism were obtained on 16 January. “Early indications suggest the filters are having a positive effect. “The organism is harmless to the vast majority of people and rarely causes disease in humans. “We are unable to comment further on the two cases due to patient confidentiality.”
In January, thousands of pigeon fanciers flock to the seaside resort of Blackpool where the fastest and most beautiful pigeons are cooed over by some of the most expert keepers in the game.
Two people died this month after contracting a fungal infection linked to pigeon droppings.
Bengaluru: Mahalakshmi Layout police have arrested a 39-year-old inter-state thief who used to burgle houses during daytime on the pretext of searching for pigeons. Stolen valuables worth Rs 8 lakh have been recovered from him. The arrested is Manjunath alias Parivala Manja, a resident of Kurubarahalli and native of Vellore. Police sources said Manja has been operating in Bengaluru and other cities for the past 15 years and has been arrested several times in the past. On getting released from jail, he would continue to burgle houses. Police said Manja was into pigeon rearing and racing. He would go around different localities on the pretext of flying or racing birds and would identify locked houses. When questioned by neighbours or passersby, he would claim that he was searching for pigeons. Police said he would shift houses frequently to avoid the police dragnet. Duo held for stealing bikes Two men have been arrested for allegedly stealing high-end bikes. The arrested are Mohammed Umrez Pasha, a resident of Shivajinagar and Zaheer Alam, 35, a resident of RT Nagar. According to police, Pasha recently quit his job as a software professional in a multinational firm. He befriended Zaheer Alam and decided to steal bikes. The duo stole three KTM Duke bikes in 15 days. However, their luck ran out when cops swooped down on them in the guise of potential customers.
Boomer has a new home and a flock to fly with.