UPMC Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh is focusing on containing mold ans suspending its transplant program is suspended after a fourth person contracts a fungal infection, according to an article on the Post-Gazette website.
Andy Streifel, an internationally known mold-outbreak expert who previously consulted with UPMC on how to handle construction-related issues at Presbyterian, was hired by UPMC to help in investigating the current outbreak.
State and Federal infectious control experts are also at UPMC Presbyterian and Montefiore hospitals trying to figure out how to keep a possible mold outbreak from spreading.
It is not yet known whether the fungal infections played a role in four patients’ deaths, or exactly where the source of the mold is located.
Possibilities include the air seals around windows and doors, medical equipment, air filters and hospital laundry.
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