ABSTRACT
The term ‘‘outbreak’’ is a loaded word that tends to precipitate severe anxiety in hospital staff. Outbreaks of nosocomial infection, however, are quite common and often occur in critical care settings. An estimated 4% of all patients acquiring a nosocomial infection develop the infection as part of an outbreak (1). Outbreaks occur periodically in all institutions, and all clinicians should be aware of the potential dangers of outbreaks and the need for systematic surveillance and analysis of data in order to interdict clusters of infection as early as possible.
