About 10 percent of China's hospital inpatients pick up infections in hospital every year, incurring an extra medical expense of more than 10 billion yuan (US$1.46 billion), experts said on Friday.

The hands of medical staff as well as equipment like respirators and blood dialysis machines are the most likely transmission routes of pathogenic microorganisms, Zhu Shibing, an expert at the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), told a seminar on hospital infection management in Wuhan, capital of central Hubei Province.

He said the infections not only inflicted more suffering on patients, but also forced them to stay longer in hospital, usually at a cost of an additional 3,000 to 11,000 yuan.

Zhu said hospital-acquired infections were not unique to China. Research in Spain and France found 6 percent to 12 percent of inpatients picked up infections.

Most of the infections could be prevented, said Health Ministry official Deng Min.

She said medical staff should pay more attention to details like pathogen isolation, aseptic surgery and hand hygiene, apart from overall monitoring of sanitation and ventilation in hospitals.

Last month, suspected hospital-acquired infections killed eight newborn babies in Xi'an, capital of northwest Shaanxi Province.

(Xinhua News Agency October 26, 2008)