A HIV test needed to be carried out on a premature baby girl
after a hospital twice gave her breast milk that wasn't intended
for her.
Zene Yates was mistakenly given a strangers' breast milk through
a tube while in the neonatal ward at Lewisham Hospital in
south-east London. Nurses discovered the error while Zene, now
seven months, was being fed.
Her mother Sarah, then noticed the second mistake when she was
at home defrosting bottled milk sent home with her from a second
stranger.
Mrs Yates told the London Evening Standard: "We were devastated
at the thought of what diseases she could have been given. It would
have been a nightmare."
A hospital spokesman said Zene and the other mothers had all
tested negative for HIV and hepatitis and that disciplinary action
had been taken.
"We have apologised to Mr and Mrs Yates, and made improvements
to how we store and manage breast milk in the neonatal intensive
care unit to reduce the risk of this happening again. This includes
making sure that all bottles of frozen breast milk which are being
taken home are individually checked by two nurses to ensure that
they are for the named baby."