Comparative Assessment of Microbial Air Contamination in Labor and Postnatal Ward at Mzuzu Central Hospital

Nosocomial infections are rapidly becoming a burden especially in developing countries. Neonates are part of the individuals who are at a high risk and mostly affected. Environmental contamination is one of the key agents of these infections. This study aimed to comparatively assess the microbial air contamination before and after cleaning in the labor and postnatal ward at Mzuzu Central Hospital. A comparative study design was employed, with a sample size of 60 paired culture plates (60 MacConkey agar plates and 60 Blood agar plates). Passive technique of air sampling was used to sample air there after 24 hours of culturing and isolation on blood agar and MacConkey agar for identification and quantification of bacterial colonies. Room observations were also done. There was a significant difference between contaminations before and after cleaning, only when MacConkey agar was used. The microorganisms that were identified include; Staphylococci aureus, Klebsiella, coagulase negative staphylococci and non-hemolytic streptococcus. Factors found to contribute to air contamination were, the size of the rooms, traffic of people in a room and number of people present in a room. This study has identified the hazard that these two wards are containing and suggests interventions to avoid nosocomial infections in the neonates.