A deadly fungal outbreak at Children's Hospital in New Orleans has put hospital laundry oversight in the spotlight, according to an article on The Times Picayune website.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined that the mucormycosis was likely transmitted through the linens at Children's Hospital but there has been no determination of where the contamination occurred — in the laundering process, in transit or at the hospital, the article said.
Healthcare facilities produce about 5 billion pounds of laundry a year in the U.S., according to the CDC, but there is no uniform monitoring of how hospitals launder, store and distribute the bedding, gowns and towels.
The CDC advises that clean linens that are provided to hospitals from off-site hospital laundries "must be packaged prior to transport to prevent inadvertent contamination from dust and dirt during loading, delivery and unloading." But, the article said, there is no definitive set of guidelines.
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