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UCM in delivery room results in a higher Hb level in the first day of life. In these groups of infants, phlebotomy losses may impact the transfusion need.

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Introduction: Health care-associated infection (HCAI) is a serious problem of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) which is related to morbidity, mortality and increased cost of medical care. This study aimed to determine the incidence of HCAI in a tertiary NICU and identify the risk factors. Methodology: This prospective cohort study was conducted between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012. All newborns admitted to the NICU except for those who died or were discharged within 48 hours after admission were included. The definitions of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were used to diagnose specific types of infections. The incidence, causative organisms, risk factors and mortality of HCAIs were evaluated. Results: Among 352 newborns, a total of 60 HCAI episodes were evaluated in 37 (10.5%) of the patients over 5,212 patient-days. The overall incidence of HCAI was 17%, and the rate was 11.5/1,000 patient-days. Blood stream infection (BSI) was the most common HCAI (n = 42, 70%). In a multivariable logistic regression analysis, the presence of a central venous catheter/umbilical catheter (CVC/UC), the presence of a urinary catheter, and gestational age (< 32 weeks of gestation) were identified as significant independent risk factors. Gram-negative pathogens were the most common isolates. The overall mortality rate was 4%. The HCAI-related mortality rate was 10.8%. Conclusions: Patient care quality can be improved with surveillance of HCAI. The incidence and rate of HCAI in our NICU were found to be higher than international reports with a direct impact on mortality of preterm infants.

The most important factor affecting the success of measles immunization is the disappearance of maternal anti-measles antibodies. In order to determine the optimum age for measles vaccination and to contribute towards the Expanded Programme on Immunization as currently applied in Turkey, we investigated the rate of disappearance of anti-measles antibodies. The study population consisted of 124 healthy infants aged 1-15 months from Erzurum, Erzincan, and Kars. The overall proportion of seropositivity, which is the result of the presence of maternal anti-measles antibodies, was 67/124 (54 per cent). The proportion of infants with detectable antibodies declined progressively with increasing age. The distribution of maternal antibody levels with respect to age showed a progressive reduction with increasing age from 7 months to 15 months. Thus the proportion of antibody-positive infants declined from 50 per cent at 7-9 months to 10 per cent at 13-15 months. While an evident decrease occurred during these months, no important decline was observed up to 9 months of age. The results of this study show that the minimum proportion of antibody-positive infants (10 per cent at 13-15 months of age) is still higher than the optimum proportion (5 per cent). The Schwarz vaccine, which is used mostly in measles immunization, seems not to be effective to obtain a high seroconversion rate in our infants. Edmonston-Zagreb vaccine strain should be given to children under the age of 15 months in eastern Turkey. In addition, serological studies should be performed periodically, and vaccination programmes appropriate for our country should be determined according to these data.