[Respiratory syncytial virus outbreak in a tertiary hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit]

Investigation and control of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) outbreak that affected the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of a university hospital from October to December 2012.

Cohort study of children admitted to the NICU. The infection attack rate was calculated. A descriptive analysis of the cases and a multivariate analysis was performed using the variables that were shown to be risk factors for RSV infection. Preventive measures taken were: contact isolation; hand hygiene training and observation; exclusivity of a health team of nurses and physicians for positive cases, restrictions on visitor numbers; surveillance RSV testing, and palivizumab prophylaxis.

The outbreak had three epidemic waves and 20 positive cases out of a total of 48 children admitted. The overall attack rate was 42%. Half of positive cases were children, with a median age of 36 days (p25=22, p75=58). The independent risk factors for RSV infection were birth weight below 1000 grams (OR=23.5; P=.002) and to have another nosocomial infection the week before the diagnosis of RSV infection (OR=19.98; P=.016).

It was an outbreak with a high number of cases, due to the delay in notification, prolonged RSV carrier status, and low adherence to hand hygiene practice, which favoured the cross-transmission of infection. The most effective preventive measures were direct observation of hand hygiene and supervision of isolation measures.