Qld: Asylum seekers to have more surgery this week in Brisbane

AAP General News (Australia)
04-20-2009
Qld: Asylum seekers to have more surgery this week in Brisbane

BRISBANE, April 20 AAP - Four asylum seekers in critical condition in Brisbane will
face more surgery this week.

Doctors at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital say there has been no change in
the condition of any of the seven people they are treating.

Four are still in critical condition in intensive care, the others are stable and are
being treated in the hospital's burns unit.

Doctors say the four patients in intensive care all have serious blood infections which
is complicating their treatment and they're expected to undergo more surgery in the next
few days.

Burns surgeon Michael Muller says their poor condition increased the risk of infection
when they were injured.

"They're malnourished, they've been in the jungle, haven't washed for seven to 10 days
and they've been in the heat of the tropics," Dr Muller said.

"The organisms that are growing on their skin are just rife, because they haven't been
washed; then they get a breach through the burns."

A boat, carrying 47 asylum seekers believed to be from Afghanistan as well as two crew
members, exploded on Thursday off Ashmore Reef, killing five and wounding dozens more.

AAP bart/pjo/maur

KEYWORD: BOAT BRISBANE UPDATE

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