Page 95 - policy and procedure infection control

Policies and Procedures on Infection Control

6.1.6 Infected Mother
•· The obstetric medical officer should notify the paediatrics medical officer of all infections
suspected or diagnosed in maternal patients.
• Transmission from mother to newborn usually occurs during delivery. The advisability
of maternal-infant contact will be discussed and decided on an individual basis.
• If a mother develops a fever or infection while the infant is rooming in, she will be
evaluated on an individual basis by the Paediatric doctor as to the advisability of the
infant remaining with the mother.
• Postpartum separation of the mother and newborn is rarely indicated.
• Untreated active pulmonary tuberculosis in the mother is an indication for separation
until the mother is no longer considered contagious (usually after 14 days of treatment).
• The uninfected newborn of the mother with peripartum varicella should be separated
until maternal lesions have dried.
• Separation should be considered if the mother has extensive Staph. aureus infection
with drainage not contained by dressings.
• Breast-feeding is rarely dangerous to the infant. Contraindications are:
 Maternal HIV infection
 HSV lesions around the nipples

6.1.7 Newborn
6.1.7.1 Feeding
• Mother / infant specific breast milk or colostrum only is used. Breast milk
from one mother can be given to another mother’s infant only with counseling
and permission from the recipient’s mother and for non-Muslim mothers.
• Breast pump apparatus are changed between patients, washed in soap and
water and then soaked in disinfectants such as Presept and rinsed through
with cooled boiled water before next use.
• Breast milk is collected and stored in a clean manner. Milk will be expressed
into clean containers.
• Milk may be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 72 hours or frozen
for three (3) months.
• Frozen milk should be thawed quickly for no more than 15 minutes under warm
water with precautions to prevent contamination. After thawing, milk should be
used promptly or stored in the refrigerator for no longer than 24 hours. Any prepared
milk at room temperature that is unused after 2 hours should be discarded.
• Infant formula can be stored in the ward refrigerator at temperature of 4 C for
0
24 hours.
• Continuous infusion tube feeding should be set up with the same aseptic
precautions used for intravenous fluids. Syringes of milk should be changed
at least every two hours, and tubing every shift.

84 Ministry of Health Malaysia