Contaminated eye gel to treat dry eyes contributed to one death in UK, Health Protection Report finds

One person in the UK has died and dozens of people have been infected after using a contaminated gel to treat dry eyes, a report has suggested.

Infection was “considered to have contributed to the death of one case”, according to a report by UK health chiefs who investigated the link between an outbreak of Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) and the use of specific brands of lubricating eye gel.

A Health Protection Report highlights how Bcc is a bacteria which is “widely found within the environment”, such as soil and water, but is “naturally resistant to many antibiotics”.

It “very rarely causes infection” among healthy people but can cause severe infection among people with weakened immune systems and people with cystic fibrosis, the report stated.

In November last year, the medicines watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), issued a safety notice on certain batches of carbomer-containing gel “due to possible microbiological contamination” and, at the same time, certain batches of three eye gels were recalled.

The new report, by the UK Health Security Agency, stated there were 52 confirmed and six probable cases across the UK associated with the outbreak between January 2023 and February 2024.

The youngest person affected was a baby while the oldest was 91 years old.

Seven out of ten cases (71%) were among patients in hospital with 38 cases needing critical care.

Overall, 25 cases were considered to have “clinically significant infections attributable to Bcc”, according to the report.

The MHRA said that it has now received “sufficient assurance from manufacturers and suppliers to conclude that products available on the UK market are safe to use and free of contamination”.

“UKHSA will continue to follow up new cases and keep vigilance for emergent clusters of Burkholderia cepacia complex,” the Health Protection Report said.