2008 Volume 62 Issue 12 Pages 679-683
Infectious diseases are not an uncommon occurrence in hospital wards comprising patients with severe motor and intellectual disabilities. The most frequent cause of death among these patients is respiratory infection; this suggests that the prevalence of agents transmitting respiratory infection in these wards may be partially responsible for the death of these patients. In this study, we examined the incidence of infection and the microorganisms responsible for the same in hospitals that are a part of the National Hospital Organization.
In Ehime Hospital, infections broke out in hospital wards 7 times in 2007: the infections were caused by norovirus at 3 instances, the influenza virus at 1 instance, coxsackievirus at 1 instance (the infection being herpangina), and by unknown microorganisms at 2 instances. In 125 wards of 49 hospitals that are a part of the National Hospital Organization, infectious diseases broke out 0.49 times per ward per year, and norovirus and the influenza virus were identified as the most common causes of these infections. However, we found that respiratory infections were frequently caused by unidentified microorganisms (0.2 times per ward per year).
The identification of these microorganisms is important for preventing the outbreak of respiratory infections in hospital wards comprising patients with severe motor and intellectual disabilities.
