HEALTH experts have defended hospital bosses after four babies tested positive for MRSA.

The babies, being cared for on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Royal Blackburn Hospital, were not affected by the infection as it was simply being carried on the skin.

But as a precautionary measure the hospital isolated the babies and restricted admission onto the ward. The MRSA was found after routine swab tests taken last week, and the restriction has now been lifted.

Today the British Medical Association (BMA), the professional association for doctors, tried to calm fears and said the Blackburn hospital had done its best.

Dr Jonathan Fielden, deputy chairman of the BMA's consultants committee, said: "It is not uncommon. A proportion of the population carry MRSA.

"As the children have been born in hospital it is less likely they carried it, but parents could have carried it.

"Even with the best possible practice you will get MRSA. They have done their best to minimise the impact on the individuals.

"It is not an uncommon thing to happen in neo-natal intensive care units but it is more common on adult wards."

Earlier this year the hospital trust revealed it had recorded its lowest number of MRSA cases since records began. The superbug struck 54 patients cared for by the trust during the 2005/06 financial year, compared to 69, 63, 66 and 57 during previous years.

In June 2005 David Short, 61, of Zion Road, Blackburn, died after contracting MRSA during a routine operation for ulcerative colitis at Queen's Park Hospital.

Hospital bosses say the latest incident is being continuously monitored' by its Infection Control Team. Lynn Wissett, director of clinical care and governance for the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "The clinical condition of the babies is not affected and all are doing well.

"However, as a precautionary measure, these babies have been nursed in separate areas within the unit in accordance with infection control protocols.

"For a period of a few days, admissions from outside the area were restricted to provide capacity for the affected babies to be nursed separately.

"This restriction has now been lifted. Babies born at our own maternity units who required neonatal intensive care during this period continued to be to be admitted to the Unit as usual.

"MRSA is a common germ that lives completely harmlessly on the skin and nose of about one third of the population.