MRSA kills four at Great Ormond St

Four young children have died at Great Ormond Street Hospital after being diagnosed with the MRSA superbug.

The victims, all aged three or under, were among 20 babies and toddlers found to have the lethal bug in their bloodstream over the last five years, according to figures released by the hospital.

The details emerged two months after newborn Luke Day became the country's youngest ever victim of MRSA. He died in Ipswich 36 hours after contracting the infection.

There was a MRSA outbreak at Great Ormond Street in November when six children and one staff member were infected. All seven recovered after being treated with antibiotics and the ward was steam-cleaned twice to remove any traces of the bug.

Of the four children who died at Great Ormond Street, MRSA was partly to blame in at least one case.

A hospital spokeswoman said this child died in 2003 after being transferred to the hospital with the bacteria already in their body.

"We have very stringent infection control procedures," she said.