Statistics on infection and premature infants

Stats on the infection

• As many as 65% of infants with birth weights less than 1000 g (extremely low birth weight) have at least one infection during their initial hospitalisation.


• Hospital acquired infections affect up to 40% of infants in neonatal intensive care unit (NICUs)


• Preterm infants who are in more severe critical clinical condition on admission to the NICU have almost a two-fold increase in the risk of contracting a hospital acquired infection.


• The mortality related to necrotizing entereocolitis (NEC) in extremely preterm infants (less than 1000grams) is approximately 40-50%


• Infants who weigh less than 1000 g at birth have the highest attack rates. This rate dramatically drops to 3.8 per 1000 live births for infants who weigh 1501-2500 g at birth.


• Rates of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) drop dramatically for infants born after 35-36 weeks' gestational weeks of age.


• The average age of onset has been reported to be
  20.2 days for babies born at less than 30 weeks' gestational age,
  13.8 days for babies born at 31-33 weeks' gestational age, and
  5.4 days for babies born after 34 weeks' gestation.

(Auriti et al., 2003; Moro et al., 1996)