Three women have wombs removed after infection at hospital

Three women admitted to a Tel Aviv hospital to give birth had to have their wombs removed after they contracted a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection.

Sheba Medical Center on Tuesday announced the third case of infection by Streptococcus A, following the infection of two other women who gave birth there two weeks ago.

All three had healthy births, but all three were found to have the infection in their wombs and therefore had to have their wombs removed.

One of the first two cases has been linked to a doctor at the hospital, who was apparently an unwitting carrier of the bacteria. The other two cases were still being investigated.

Realizing the threat of further infection after the first two cases, Sheba contacted other women who had recently given birth there, called five of them back to the hospital for further testing, and identified the third case.

Sheba said its obstetrics ward was now functioning normally. It said that postpartum infection, such as Strep A, can occur in any hospital.