Newborn in Taiwan falls gravely ill due to parents’ poor hygiene

台灣新生兒因父母不良衛生習慣而染病

Hands contaminated with salmonella believed to be source of illness


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Newborn in Taiwan has fallen severely ill due to salmonella infection, with the source of transmission suspected of being linked to the poor hygiene practices of the parents.

The Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital said on Sunday (Oct. 11) that it has admitted three infants under one year of age recently over the bacterial disease. The youngest, who is 10 days old, has developed serious complications, including inflammation of the intestines and abdomen as well as sepsis.

The medical staff speculated that the young patients’ parents may have been the ones to blame, as they were found to not have washed their hands thoroughly before preparing food for the babies. The culprit of the infections could also be the use of a single cutting board for both fresh produce and meat, which creates a favorable environment for the growth of foodborne pathogens, according to Liberty Times.

As the coronavirus continues to grip the nation’s attention, Chiu Cheng-hsun (邱政洵), vice superintendent of the hospital, cautioned that the public should also heed the threat of salmonellosis, which runs rampant between July and October. Children under the age of five are particularly vulnerable to the illness, he added.

In Taiwan, the bacterium is often found on raw pork and chicken and can find its way into the food eaten by consumers, Chiu reckoned, citing research by the medical institution. Chicken and duck eggs can also carry the pathogen.

Those contracting the disease may exhibit symptoms such as fever, nausea, headache, diarrhea, and abdominal pain in six to 72 hours. For infants and seniors, the symptoms can worsen and result in sepsis, pneumonia, osteomyelitis, meningitis, gastrointestinal perforation, and even death, wrote UDN.