Concern over infection rates at NYC hospital

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Imagine going into the hospital and getting sicker while you're there with an infection you didn't have when you got there. A report from the state Health Department says that has happened at 52 hospitals in the state; 15 of them are in New York City. Here are some examples of high infection rates, according to the Health Department report.

Manhattan's Mount Sinai Hospital's infection rate 48 percent was higher than the state average for bacteria that causes diarrhea and intestinal damage.

The Morgan Stanley New York Presbyterian Children's Hospital had an infection rate 39 percent higher than the state average for blood infections caused by intravenous catheters.

Elmhurst Hospital in Queens had a 16 percent higher infection rate for colon procedures; about three times the state average.

Bellevue Hospital had a 5 percent rate of chest infections for heart bypass surgery, compared to the state average of 1.9 percent.

Dr. Roshini Raj, an internist at NYU Hospital, says that hospital infections are a reality and can be deadly. She also says that the overuse of antibiotics has made us more susceptible to infections during hospital stays.

The state Health Department report is based on figures from 2015.

New York City Health and Hospitals, which oversees public hospitals, issued a statement saying, in part: "The identified 2015 infection rates were all dramatically lowered in 2016. Our hospitals consistently check and recheck to ensure that evidence-based practices to reduce infections are being applied consistently."