3 Babies Test Positive for Potentially Deadly Bacteria At Maryland Hospital

BALTIMORE (WJZ)--A Maryland hospital is forced to shut down its NICU after three babies tested positive for a potentially deadly bacterium.

There's also an investigation underway after babies in that same unit recently died.

Top leaders at Prince George's Hospital Center forced to answer questions about the source of a potentially deadly bacterium.

"We are working collaboratively with our partners to get to the bottom of the source of this bacterium," said Neil Moore, president and CEO of Dimensions Health Care Systems.

Hospital officials say the bacterium may have originated in the pipes leading to the building.

And staff first knew something was wrong when three babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit tested positive for bacterium pseudomonas--a potentially deadly bacterium, according to the CDC.

The hospital said the three babies that tested positive for the potentially deadly organism, aren't showing any symptoms right now.

Tuesday afternoon, the hospital started the process of transferring nine babies from the NICU to another hospital.

Babies in the same unit recently died. The actual cause of those deaths is still being investigated.

"To date, we have no data that says there is a relationship between the deaths of those infants and this bacterium," said Karnell Cooper, chief medical officer for Dimensions Health Systems.

As word of the problem spread, anxious family members have questions even about babies in other parts of the hospital.

"I mean, I am going to ask what's going on, you know? It worries me a lot," said Tatiana Flores.

Even though the NICU is shut down, the rest of the hospital is still open Tuesday night.

Leaders say only the water in the NICU was affected.

On Wednesday, a water company will come in to test more water samples.

The hospital does not know when the affected unit will re-open.