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Background: Understanding SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among health care personnel is important to explore risk factors for transmission, develop elimination strategies and form a view on the necessity and frequency of surveillance in the future. Methods: We enrolled 4927 health care personnel working in pediatric units at 32 hospitals from 7 different regions of Turkey in a study to determine SARS Co-V-2 seroprevalence after the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. A point of care serologic lateral flow rapid test kit for immunoglobulin (Ig)M/IgG was used. Seroprevalence and its association with demographic characteristics and possible risk factors were analyzed. Results: SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity prevalence in health care personnel tested was 6.1%. Seropositivity was more common among those who did not universally wear protective masks (10.6% vs 6.1%). Having a COVID-19-positive co-worker increased the likelihood of infection. The least and the most experienced personnel were more likely to be infected. Most of the seropositive health care personnel (68.0%) did not suspect that they had previously had COVID-19. Conclusions: Health surveillance for health care personnel involving routine point-of-care nucleic acid testing and monitoring personal protective equipment adherence are suggested as important strategies to protect health care personnel from COVID-19 and reduce nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

Introduction Health care workers (HCWs) are disproportionately exposed to infectious diseases and play a role in nosocomial transmission, making them a key demographic for vaccination. HCW vaccination rates are not optimal in many countries; hence, compulsory vaccination policies have been implemented in some countries. Although these policies are effective and necessary under certain conditions, resolving HCWs’ hesitancies and misconceptions about vaccines is crucial. HCWs have the advantage of direct contact with patients; hence, they can respond to safety concerns, explain the benefits of vaccination, and counter antivaccine campaigns that escalate during pandemics, as has been observed with COVID-19. Method A short survey was carried out in May–June 2020 on the vaccination status of HCWs working with pediatric patients with COVID-19. The survey inquired about their vaccination status (mumps/measles/rubella [MMR], varicella, influenza, and diphtheria/tetanus [dT]) and willingness to receive hypothetical future COVID-19 vaccines. The respondents were grouped according to gender, age, occupation, and region. Results In total, 4927 HCWs responded to the survey. Most were young, healthy adults. The overall vaccination rates were 57.8% for dT in the past 10 years, 44.5% for MMR, 33.2% for varicella, and 13.5% for influenza. Vaccination rates were the highest among physicians. The majority of HCWs (81%) stated that they would be willing to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Conclusion Although vaccination rates for well-established vaccines were low, a majority of HCWs were willing to receive COVID-19 vaccines when available. Education and administrative trust should be enhanced to increase vaccination rates among HCWs.

Aim:Healthcare-associated infections are important conditions, as they may increase morbidity and mortality, prolong hospital stay and increase costs. A higher incidence of healthcare-associated infections has been reported in developing countries, but data on its epidemiology in pediatric patients are limited. The aim of this study was to determine the rate and distribution of health care-associated infections and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns in a pediatric intensive care unit.Materials and Methods:Demographic and clinical details, microbiological findings, antibiotic susceptibility results and the outcomes of all hospitalized pediatric intensive care unit patients were collected for one year (September 2017 to September 2018). Results:The health care-associated infections rate was 5.6 per 100 admissions and the incidence density was 7.2 per 1,000 patient-days. Bloodstream infections (50%) were the most common type and Klebsiella species (40.9%) was the most common cause of health careassociated infections. All of the Klebsiella spp. were resistant strains producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (77.7%) and the remaining were resistant to carbapenem. Acinetobacter species and colistin resistance was not detected in any isolates.Conclusion:This study demonstrated a low prevalence of health care-associated infections but a high rate of antibiotic resistance in Klebsiella species in a pediatric intensive care unit. In addition to improved surveillance, consultation with infectious disease specialists will allow the development of interventions to reduce healthcare-associated infections, in order to regulate both empirical treatment and ongoing management, and also to provide appropriate targeted therapy.

Aim: Expressed breast milk is beneficial for infants in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) when direct breastfeeding is not possible. Breast expression with manual or electric breast pumps is promoted for the initiation and maintenance of lactation in this critical period. In this study, we aimed to compare the efficacy and maternal comfort of sequential versus simultaneous breast expression in newly delivered mothers whose infants were admitted to NICU. Materials and Methods: Thirty five mothers were followed prospectively for milk expression either sequentially (n=21, group 1) or simultaneously (n=14, group 2) with breast pumps for 10 days. The total amount of milk expressed per day and per each period was recorded together with the duration of breast expression. The mothers’ impressions about the easiness and comfort of the procedure, and their satisfaction with the amount of milk were evaluated with a questionnaire at the end of the study. Results: The amounts of expressed milk per day and per each expression period were similar in both groups. However, time spent for each expression period was significantly lower in the simultaneous breast expression group. Mothers in this group gave higher scores with regard to ease of use when compared to mothers in the sequential expression group (4.36±0.50 vs. 4.00±0.44, p=0.046). The mothers graded both methods with similar scores in all other parameters. Conclusion: Simultaneous breast expression is time saving while both simultaneous and sequential breast expression are similarly efficient for milk production, and both methods are helpful and tolerable in promoting breastfeeding for NICU mothers.