SEATTLE, Wash. (AP) — Seattle Children’s Hospital says five more deaths have been linked to an Aspergillus mold outbreak in its operating rooms.
Hospital Chief Executive Dr. Jeff Sperring told a news conference Monday that the deaths between 2001 and 2014 are in addition to one fatality and illnesses in seven other patients since 2018 that were caused by the same mold.
But he believes they’re now taking necessary steps to eliminate the threat.
Children’s operating rooms will remain closed through January and surgeries will be performed at other hospitals in the Seattle area.