The Facts about MRSA

SUPERBUG HITS ONE IN 11..
Infection rates growing – Sky news Thursday June 23, 2005

A "fog of ignorance" covering the spread of hospital super bugs is badly hampering attempts to tackle the problem, a committee of MPs has warned.
They also branded the figure of 5,000 deaths annually from the infections as "rough and ready" and claimed one in 11 patients picks up an infection. The Public Accounts Committee said although fighting bugs picked up in healthcare surroundings was now a top Government priority, much more needed to be done.

And figures showing a reduction in the most infamous of the bugs - MRSA - disguised problems with the 80% or so of infections not covered by surveillance programmes.

Edward Leigh, chairman of the committee in the last Parliament, said: "We find that little has been done to dispel this fog of ignorance.

"The truth is that, over the last four years, there has been little serious and effective action to combat hospital-acquired infection."

He added: "It is astonishing that poor ward cleanliness, lax hand-washing, a shortage of isolation practices and high bed occupancy rates are still plaguing NHS hospitals."

Using beds before they have been properly cleaned between patients has been linked to the rise in hospital infections.

Mr Leigh said the figure of 5,000 deaths a year from them was "rough and ready" and based on research from the 1980s which "must be updated".
The report said Britain had 70 times the MRSA proportion of Denmark and 40 times that of the Netherlands and Sweden. Incidences in the Republic of Ireland are reported as high as double those of the UK. In the USA instances are reported to be on the increase.

What is MRSA?

MRSA is a serious hospital acquired infection, which is a form of the Staphylococcus bacterium resistant to the commonly used antibiotic methicillin. This is referred to as Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus or MRSA.

There have been cases of this superbug showing resistance even to vancomycin, an antibiotic traditionally regarded as "the last line of defence".

How dangerous is MRSA?

MRSA is the most common cause of death from a hospital-acquired infection. Only the antibiotic vancomycin is powerful enough to combat the bug - to which the old are particularly vulnerable.

It is estimated that Hospital Acquired Infections cost the UK NHS around £1bn per annum, affect some 100,000 patients a year and is responsible for the deaths of around 5,000 patients annually in the UK. Since 2001 when these figures were reported rates of MRSA in Britain have continued to increase at an alarming rate with some hospitals reporting secondary infection rates as high as 20%.

MRSA Infection Rates In Europe

According to a report of the *European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance, MRSA infection rates in Britain’s hospitals are the highest in Europe where the recorded levels of the superbug are reported as "alarmingly high".

The report describes that during the first 6 months of 2001 the lowest proportions of MRSA were found in the northern European countries such as Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands. By contrast, United Kingdom, Israel and Greece reported alarmingly high proportions of MRSA.

Forty-one per cent of strains of Staphyloccus aureaus in UK hospitals were found to be antibiotic resistant compared with one per cent in Sweden and Finland and zero in the Netherlands. Israel and Greece were only slightly better than the UK with recorded levels of 44.1 per cent and 38.6 per cent respectively.

Direct Healthcare International's MRSA Infection Control Policy

Belgium has one of the lowest rates of secondary infection in the world. In order to ensure that secondary infections and in particular MRSA, is not spread to any of our facilities we ask all clients to provide a MRSA test result or please be prepared to travel a few days early to allow time to carry out an oral smear test. (There is no additional charge for the test)

Please note that where an MRSA test result has not been provided an oral swab for MRSA will be taken and surgery will take place once results have been received.

Should you test positive for MRSA the hospital will normally still be able to treat you but special precautions will be taken for your safety and the safety of others. If you suspect that you have any such infections please inform us beforehand.

What does the test involve?

The test is easy, painless and straightforward; a smear sample is taken from the nose and throat.

What other precautions should the patient take?

If you are undergoing joint replacement surgery please:

Visit your dentist beforehand to ensure that you are clear from mouth
infections

Use an antiseptic shower gel such as uni-wash the week before you travel

Direct Healthcare International would like to thank you for your understanding and participation in this matter to help us to keep our partner hospitals infection free.