A report in the May issue of the Paediatric Infectious Disease Journal has linked hospital linens to an outbreak of mucormycosis that resulted in five deaths at a paediatric hospital, 2008 - 2009.
According to a story in the New York Times, 28 April, the report did not identify the hospital but a local TV station, tipped off by a doctor in the area, revealed it as the Children's Hospital in New Orleans.
The report identified hospital linens that were traced to an offsite laundry (named in the New York Times story as TLC Linen Services) as an agent of transmission during the outbreak.
An abstract of the journal concluded: "Hospital linens should be laundered, packaged, shipped and stored in a manner that minimises exposure to environmental contaminants."
Following the journal's publication and New York Times story, Gregory Gicewicz, president of the Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC) said: "This report again reinforces the need for laundry processing standards that are patient-safety focussed and have been developed based on federal regulations and guidelines as well as best industry practices." He added: "Hospitals, nursing homes and all healthcare facilities should demand it." He noted that the New York Times reported that the laundry was "not accredited."
HLAC is a non-profit organisation formed to inspect and accredit laundries that process healthcare textiles for hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities. Becoming accredited is an entirely voluntary process.
