Published Wednesday, 25 January 2012
The number of babies at the Royal Jubilee who currently have the bacteria on their skin, but are not infected, is now eight.
According to the Department of Health, screening will continue "as the situation requires" and all necessary precautions to prevent the bug spreading are being taken.
Three babies have died as the result of the outbreak in Belfast, while a baby infected by a different strain of the infection died in Londonderry's Altnagelvin hospital before Christmas.
One baby is currently being treated for the infection at the Royal Jubilee.
Lorraine Doherty from the Public Health Agency explained why the screening of neonatal units across Northern Ireland, where infants have been moved in the last two months, was vital.
"It's important that we determine whether we have additional cases of the outbreak or whether there are babies that are colonised (have the bug on their skin but are not infected)," she said.
"If we identify colonised babies, staff are aware of the baby and are hyper vigilant over control arrangements and more aware if the individual baby gets an infection.
"Moreover, if they are aware a baby is colonised, we can put in place very strict control measures to prevent transmission to other babies."
The source of the outbreak in the Royal Jubilee has been traced back to taps and pipes which are now being replaced with ultraviolet fittings designed to kill bacteria.
Health Minister Edwin Poots is expected to be quizzed further over the infection at a meeting of the Health Committee on Wednesday.
With the neonatal unit at the Royal Jubilee is closed, expectant mothers and babies requiring care will be treated at other facilities in Northern Ireland, GB or the Republic of Ireland.
The unit will only be re-opened once all remedial work is completed and tests show that it is safe.
Chair of the Health Committee Michelle Gildernew has called for further examination of conditions at neonatal units across Northern Ireland, after it was revealed that the taps were also the source of the fatal case of the Pseudomonas infection at Altnagelvin in December.