Cardiff: Baby death prompts heart infection cluster probe

Public Health Wales is working with the paediatric team at the Children's Hospital for Wales

A cluster of heart infections in babies in south Wales that resulted in one dying is being investigated.

Cases of severe enterovirus infections with myocarditis, began in June 2022 and involved babies under 28 days old.

They peaked in November and 10 babies in this cluster developed myocarditis - one is in hospital, eight are being treated as outpatients and one died.

Public Health Wales (PHW) said parents should be reassured this that was "an extremely rare occurrence".

Enterovirus is a common childhood infection which rarely affects the heart.

Most babies and children recover completely, but in very young babies it can cause severe illness.

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Dr Christopher Williams, consultant epidemiologist for PHW, said: "This cluster is unusual due to the number of cases reported in a relatively short time frame and so investigations are now ongoing in collaboration with the paediatric team in the Children's Hospital of Wales to understand the reasons why and to investigate any further cases that may be reported in the coming weeks and months."

PHW said it was issuing a briefing to health professionals in Wales to inform them of the cluster, but no outbreak has been declared.

Wales' Health Minister Eluned Morgan said: "This is still an extremely rare occurrence.

"Paediatricians in Wales have been advised and will continue to consider the possibility of myocarditis in babies presenting with sepsis."

Sepsis, or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening reaction to an infection.

The World Health Organization has been informed about the cluster.