Spread of Epidemic Infection Among Newborn Infants

Abstract

Epidemic infection in the newborn nursery can best be prevented by (1) excluding infants of infected mothers, (2) excluding personnel who have active infection, and (3) careful housekeeping.

Few hospitals deal realistically with the problem of relieving from duty nursery personnel who have active infection. Intelligent control of an outbreak of infection requires an understanding of the multiple sites of proliferation of the pathogen. The chain of infection from older to younger infants must be broken.