In total, 33 patients have developed Klebsiella pneumoniae infections tied to the outbreak, which began in October 2022. Nine months later, the source of the bacteria is still unknown, according to the hospital’s latest update shared July 6. The most recent confirmed case was identified May 25.
Hospital leaders are working with the CDC and local public health officials to investigate the outbreak. As of May, leaders had not found any commonalities in terms of where affected patients spent time in the hospital, and testing of hospital surfaces did not reveal any bacteria matching patient samples.
“While the risk of transmission is extremely low for patients, we continue to take proactive steps to avoid additional transmission,” Virginia Mason said.
