VRE threat solution has MRSA relevance

Link: This Is Local London

Three patients have caught a superbug in Kingston Hospital's intensive care unit, forcing staff to keep new patients in isolation while the area was fully decontaminated. The hospital has confirmed that in recent weeks there has been a cluster of cases of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus (VRE), a form of antibiotic-resistant bacterium that may cause infection to already seriously ill patients. One reader, worried about a relative in the unit, said: "I asked one of the nurses why the unit was so empty and she told me it was because of a superbug. She did not tell me what it was but said it was not MRSA." New admissions to the unit were accommodated in isolation rooms after the bug was detected, and the intensive care unit had to be intensively cleaned and disinfected. A hospital spokeswoman said: "Over the weekend the area underwent full bio-decontamination using the latest technology, tested and approved by the new rapid review panel for NHS technology." The unit was sprayed with hydrogen peroxide vapour which creates a fog that covers the whole area, killing any germs. The hydrogen peroxide was then extracted by a machine that ensures that the environment is safe for immediate re-use.