1 infant cured, 13 others treated for pneumonia in Shenyang hospital

One of the 14 newborn babies diagnosed with pneumonia in Shenyang city in Northeast China's Liaoning province has been cured and the rest are in stable condition, according to a local authority.

"At present, all the babies are relatively stable and no one is in danger," said Yu Mugang, director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Shenyang Children's Hospital. 

The market watchdog of Huanggu district of Shenyang, where the Xinxiangyueshiguang Care Center for mothers and newborn babies is located, confirmed on Saturday some babies in the center were infected with pneumonia, and that the center has been closed.

"It is confirmed that these children were infected in this center although the source of infection is still unclear," according to a source from the local Shenyang Centers for Disease Control, who refused to be named.

Experts said some children are infected with respiratory syncytial virus, which is the most common virus that causes pneumonia in infants, especially in children under 1 year old. It is infectious but does not belong to the category of legal infectious diseases.

The local CDC will carry out epidemic prevention and disinfection at the center.

A man surnamed Li, the father of one patient, disclosed his child was admitted to the center on Jan 24. Two days later, the child was found to have a runny nose but the center's staff said it was normal. And only one week later, the child was sent to a hospital for intensive care due to pneumonia.

The center said it will refund the rest of the care expenses, and is willing to cover medical expenses not covered by social insurance, according to a handwritten announcement by the center.

Law experts suggest the case indicates that there are loopholes in the management of postpartum care centers in terms of health and epidemic prevention. 

Chen Mo contributed to the story.