Mold infection linked to death at Rigshospitalet

A recent death at Copenhagen’s Rigshospitalet is connected to issues with mold contamination, reports Berlingske. Reports indicate the deceased adult patient had the Aspergillus flavus infection, the same mold type tied to a young boy’s death who had leukemia. The mold had previously been found only in Rigshospitalet’s South Wing, where the adult was not treated, but investigations on infections revealed it was the same fungus. While the mode of transmission remains unknown, the hospital indicated the patient was critically ill and undergoing immunosuppressive treatment. Rigshospitalet’s deputy director expressed regret over the mold infections but noted that the risk of complications exists in hospital environments. Following the death, environmental samples were ordered from the patient’s rooms and a review of other patients’ records who shared rooms with the deceased is underway.