Let us keep you informed via our e mail news update. Click here for more information. Check the latest news now at our headline page. Discuss MRSA using the comments link at foot of stories). Discover our MRSA Watch book of the month - Visit our bookstore. We have 2,800+ stories - see list below or categories in side columns.
Link: Lancashire Evening Telegraph
BUS bosses have launched an investigation into claims that a man disabled by MRSA was left stranded in the rain by a driver. Wheelchair-bound Norman Turner, who lost his left leg to MRSA last year, said that a Blackburn Transport driver shut the doors on him and drove off as he tried to board. His sister Lana Scott had already got on to the bus and claimed the driver said he couldn't help a disabled passenger because he had a bad back. She said she had to insist he stopped so she could walk back to be with Norman. Mr Turner said that at the time he was trying to come to terms with his loss of mobility and the driver's "insensitive" actions were like a "slap in the face."
Link: icSouthlondon
AN INSPIRATIONAL 17-year-old Woolwich girl with cystic fibrosis has been shortlisted for a national award for her achievements. Emma Boniface, from Shooters Hill, is among 24 young nominees due to attend the star-studded Breathing Life Awards, organised by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, tomorrow. The awards are to celebrate the exceptional achievements, in sport, the arts, the community and academia, of young people with the life-threatening disease. Despite coping with her condition and contracting MRSA, Emma has always kept her spirits high. In addition to studying beauty therapy at Shooters Hill Post-16 Campus she works voluntarily at King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, to promote understanding between patients and staff.
Link: News - Grantham Today
Amputee Albert Willets has been living in a nursing home since November because South Kesteven District Council has no accommodation suitable for him. Retired carpenter Mr Willets, 67, had his right leg amputated above the knee because of an MRSA infection that developed while in hospital for a hip replacement. After the surgery he went to Harrison House Nursing Home, Dysart Road, Grantham, to recover. Mr Willets asked SKDC to convert his council bungalow in Ropsley, but was told it can not be converted for wheelchair access because of problems fitting access ramps and difficulty manoeuvring a wheelchair inside. He is still at Harrison House, using his pension to pay �121 a week to stay there while also paying the rent on his home, waiting for the council to find him a ground-floor flat. His family is unable to take him in because their homes also have access problems.
Link: MRSA victim facing more trauma.
A vet who contracted MRSA three years ago during surgery on her ankle, is now facing the prospect of having her leg amputated. Fiona Care, from Manorowen, Goodwick, caught the devastating bug after she broke her ankle trying to catch a sheep. She had surgery on the joint at Withybush Hospital, which is when she believes she contracted MRSA.
"I don't actually have MRSA anymore. The problems I am having are all as a result of the damage it has done to my leg. "The bug ate away at my flesh and bone, leaving me with an open wound that will not heal, despite two skin grafts. "Sometimes I feel very angry that this could have happened to me. A prosthetic limb is the only way forward for me now."
Link: News - Hartlepool Today
A MAN who almost died in an horrific motorbike accident still needs more surgery - nearly three years after the smash. And today, Hartlepool man Leslie Allan - who originally needed over 40 pints of blood after the horror smash - urged more people to come forward and become blood donors. His bike smashed into a parked car outside his home, in Tredegar Walk, in July 2003. He said: "I'm so thankful to all those people who give blood. They saved my life.'' But the 40-year-old also revealed how he still needs surgery on a hole in his stomach. He explained: "I'll never be completely recovered because when I was in hospital I contracted MRSA. "It meant that when they finished all the operations on my stomach, they couldn't stitch it back together properly and the stomach muscle just won't heal. "I have a hole in my stomach muscle about four inches big. Last year I had an operation at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, to try to fix it, but it didn't work. "I'm due to go for another operation to try to sort it out again. I'm on the waiting list, it should be May or June time, in South Tyneside hospital.''
Link: Pocatello Idaho State Journal
A quickly developing staph infection filled Allison's heart with large clumps, or vegetation, of bacteria, which infected the inner lining of her heart and destroyed one of her valves. Then the bacteria spread throughout her body, putting her at high risk for a stroke, organ failure and putting her life at risk. Allison's heart was pumping blood backward, she was short of breath, weak, septic from the staph infection, drifting in and out of consciousness and her team of caregivers at Portneuf Medical Center worked to save her life, juggling her failing heart with a severe staph infection. It was going to be risky, but they consulted her family and decided to operate. Pocatello neurologist Dr. Robert Kennedy gave her a 95 to 100 percent chance of having a stroke. PMC's heart and vascular center cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Jacob DeLaRosa gave her a 40 percent chance of surviving. The surgery took six hours to complete. Replacing the valve was tricky due to the damage her heart sustained from the staph's attack. Sutures to secure her new valve tore away from the wall of her heart because it was so infected. DeLaRosa's team didn't know if she would make it through.But she did.
Link: Wetherby News
A TADCASTER man recovering from the hospital superbug, MRSA, has hit out after seeing his disability allowance suddenly stopped. Norman Power and his wife, Lesley, needed government help after he contracted MRSA following a full liver transplant nearly two years ago – but the couple’s allowance has now been slashed. Mr Power, a 56-year-old former landlord at two Tadcaster pubs, says he is regularly in pain and struggles to walk very far. “I’ve had MRSA which attacked the muscles in my body and I’ve only just come out of hospital again. But people are saying I’m capable of looking after myself,” he told the Wetherby News. But, Mr Power said this was not the case and his wife could now only work part time to help care for her husband. The couple have now been left to rely on Mrs Power’s part-time income as well as savings from the time Mr Power ran The Calcaria and White Swan pubs.
Link: newsobserver.com
In August, Sarah Tayler went to an urgent care center with a tender red welt just below her left knee. Spider bite, the doctor said, sending her home with Keflex, a common antibiotic. Tayler, 24, who lives with her parents in Fuquay-Varina, cleaned her bedroom from top to bottom, doused it in bug spray and figured the problem was solved. But within three days, Tayler's leg swelled to twice its normal size and she developed a fever. Her leg hurt so much she couldn't walk. The wound oozed a clear, reddish liquid. Tayler's mother rushed her to the emergency room at WakeMed in Raleigh, where a doctor knew exactly what was wrong. He said it was an infection caused by a bacterium called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus -- MRSA -- a drug-resistant staph infection. It does not respond to common antibiotics and, left unchecked, can fester into a plague that rapidly invades skin, tissue and blood -- and can be fatal. Over the past few years, hospitals across North Carolina have seen the infection in their emergency rooms much more frequently. Some doctors call it an emerging epidemic.
Link: icWales
A GRIEVING mum has spoken of the pain of losing her young son in a freak accident - and how learning to dance in Cuba has helped her laugh again. Three-year-old Kian Williams, pictured, died from MRSA which he caught in hospital while being treated after a playground accident in school. Mum Jackie, pictured, recalls the day of the accident on August 11, 2004 and says, "I had a call to say they'd seen his eyes rolling in the back of his head and they'd called for an ambulance to fetch him. "I went straight to Ysbyty Gwynedd and I arrived before Kian. He was so pale, I've never seen him so pale." He died a month later in hospital.
Link: Welcome to Sun2Surf.
The MRSA superbug is not likely to mutate into its less morbid cousin, the MSSA, in the petri dish � but it seems to have "verbally mutated" from one strain to the other when reported by two different persons at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru.
Hospital director Rooshaimi Merican has denied that stroke patient Mohd Zain has contracted the MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) superbug.
"There is no need to isolate the patient as he is not MRSA-positive," she said, although initially, the family was told by a nurse the patient had contracted the drug-resistant MRSA.
Rooshaimi was commenting on the allegation by the patient's son, Shah Zulkifly, published in theSun last Tuesday, who questioned why Mohd Zain was not isolated for safety.
She said the hospital had conducted an investigation and found the allegation was not true.
"We have submitted a report on the matter to Health Ministry directorgeneral Datuk Dr Ismail Merican," said Rooshaimi.
Told that it was a nurse from the ward who told the patient's family that he had contracted MRSA, she said: "All I can tell you now is that the patient is not MRSA-positive and we have already informed the family on Monday."
Asked if MRSA-positive cases are isolated in the hospital, she said: "Of course, yes."
When contacted, Shah Zulkifly said the family was told by medical staff on Monday their father was not infected with MRSA.
"We were told he has contracted another variation of the Staph. Aureus bacteria known as MSSA (MethicillinSensitive Staphylococ
Link: Latest Local News
MRSA Positive could become a mjor stigma in years to come
WORKERS have refused to carry out essential home improvements for an elderly couple because of fears they could catch MRSA. Contractors were due to install a new kitchen at the home of Edward and Frances Hannigan on Monday, but refused to enter the property after they found out Mr Hannigan (68) had suffered from the potentially deadly infection two years ago.
The couple rent their house from Cross Keys Homes, which organised contractors to carry out work to their kitchen.
Mrs Hannigan (61) said: "We are living in complete chaos. Everything is packed away in boxes, which are taking up all our free space. I can't find cups, I can't find cutlery, I can't find anything.
"Work was supposed to begin on Monday, but when they hadn't turned up by the afternoon, I called Cross Keys to check what was happening. I was told that the work had been withdrawn because of illness.
"Apparently, while I was at the hospital they called and my husband spoke to them and told them he had had MRSA two years ago.
"Now they are saying they won't come back until I have a certificate from our GP saying the house is infection free."
Link: An MRSA
An MRSA hospital patient was not washed for three days before being handed a bowl of water and told to clean himself, he claims.
Lung patient Philip Clifton, who contracted the superbug while in Lincoln County Hospital, says he was neglected by nursing staff.
The 57-year-old grandfather-of-four was diagnosed with MRSA after being admitted to the hospital suffering from shortness of breath and suspected heart failure.
But he says staff at the hospital's Emergency Assessment Unit did not change his bed sheets for days and neglected to wash him.
In the end they told him to clean himself.
A footballer whose heart stopped twice during a game is on the mend and back home with his family. Gareth Handy collapsed during a Sunday league match and would have died but for his best pal, whose quick first aid saved his life. Gareth, 22, had to wait for surgery on a rare heart complaint after he was found to be carrying the superbug MRSA while in hospital. Now he has had a defibrillator fitted at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital and is recovering with mum Rosie in Concord, Washington.
Link: Mums Plastic Surgery Nightmare
SANDY Young wanted breast implants after having children so she would look her best when she married long-term partner Vince Young. After much thought, in August last year she booked into the Sloane Hospital in Beckenham for the £5,500 operation which would see her grow from a 36C to a 38D. But following a successful operation she developed MRSA and within four weeks the superbug had eaten through her left breast. Just two days before her wedding, concerned doctors were forced to remove the implant. The mother-of-two was left wearing a padded bra on her big day so her chest would not look lopsided.
Link: dailyrecord - MY ENDLESS NIGHTMARE.
BRAVE Ian Colquhoun yesterday told of the nightmare that changed his life forever The 27-year-old woke from a seven week coma after being battered and burned to find his legs and the top of his fingers hadbeenchopped off. And while in hospital, Ian became infected with a rare Asian strain of the MRSA superbug. It led to him being banned from the wards for 16 months and unable to be fitted with artificial limbs. But after all the trauma and heartache, Ian now feels he has turned the corner and is learning to walk again. He said: "It is new lease of life for me and I am full of hope for the future."
Link: The Daily Telegraph | Bitten, then a superbug.
A WOMAN who went to Westmead Hospital to be treated for a spider bite faced delays due to the broken hot-water system and has now contracted the golden staph bacteria. The hot-water crisis began on Sunday with elective surgery cancelled after washing and sterilisation practices failed. Kim McLennan, from Parramatta, said: "Being bitten by a spider is bad enough but then catching golden staph as well, that just takes a bit of getting used to." Unable to identify the spider that bit her last Thursday, Ms McLennan was sent home with Panadeine Forte and antibiotics but returned on Saturday morning when her condition worsened. "I spent seven hours waiting to be admitted and was operated on the next day," Ms McLennan said. "On Tuesday when they wanted to attach a machine to me to suck out the infection, they couldn't because I couldn't have a shower to wash out the wound. "I got the machine put in today [Wednesday] and I found out I had golden staph.
Link: Yeovil
A Yeovil couple have spoken of their heartbreak after they had to cancel their dream wedding and honeymoon when the bridegroom contracted the MRSA superbug. David Gould of Lyde Road was admitted to Yeovil District Hospital in April after breaking his leg while playing rugby for Ivel Barbarians. He expected to be out of action for up to eight weeks, but says his life was ruined after contracting the infection during a routine check-up.
Link: Karen Gerada, MRSA victims, communication disability.
Click the link above for the poignant heart cry of a mother who lost her 16 year old to MRSA
My sweet, sweet Karen it seems only yesterday that you were born and the joys that your birth brought to me and your father were immense. Now in this profound sorrow I can almost hardly realise that you have gone to Heaven. How cruel life was to us our only daughter entering hospital for an appendicitis operation, during which an ovarian cyst was discovered, ended up getting infected by MRSA in the ovarian cyst wound leading to our present heartbreaking reality.
Link: icRenfrewshire
AN INVESTIGATION into a Paisley nursing home's treatment of a frail pensioner revealed he was suffering from the MRSA superbug, a Fatal Accident Inquiry was told yesterday. Tragic George Fairlie, 74, was found to have been suffering from the superbug, after a probe by the Care Commission into the Alexandra Nursing Home, where the pensioner had stayed for two years before he passed away. The FAI into Mr Fairlie's death was launched after his family claimed he was neglected by the care home. His daughter, Anne Cook, told the inquiry that her family was so concerned about her dad that they alerted the Commission and asked the watchdog to investigate. The organisation's probe discovered Mr Fairlie - who also suffered from dementia and diabetes - had MRSA.
Link: icWales - Welsh legend battles MRSA.
FOR 17 years, Wales and Cardiff rugby legend CD Williams fought off the fiercest opposition. But not even the might of the All Blacks could have prepared him for his 18-month battle against throat cancer and the deadly MRSA superbug. Dr Charles Derek Williams, CD to his mates, was the Corinthian of Welsh sport during the 40s and 50s, playing rugby for Neath, captaining Cardiff, carrying the Olympic torch at Wembley Stadium in 1948 as a county half-mile champion, notching up a double century in cricket for Oxford and even boxing as a light-heavyweight.
Link: Leigh Today
This detailed report gives some insight into the MRSA cascade that some experience
Mr Winstanley was critical of nursing staff for not informing him that his mother had become infected with MRSA – a fact he realised himself due to his experience of working in Warrington Hospital. Following the operation, which involved a graft procedure, Mrs Winstanley's condition seemed to improve. But on October 16, one of the grafts broke down, causing extensive bleeding, and she was rushed to theatre to repair the breach. After the emergency operation, again she initially improved, but on October 19 the graft broke down again and she suffered heart failure while in theatre, and died the next day. John Mosely, consultant surgeon at Wigan Infirmary, said that the initial delay in analysing Mrs Winstanley's condition was unusual as the machine hardly ever broke down, but there were now two machines capable of performing angiograms. Mr Mosely said that Mrs Winstanley probably had heart disease because the blockages in her leg indicated problems across her system. Despite tests confirming she did not have MRSA upon entering hospital, a further test on October 4 confirmed she had the superbug. Mr Mosely removed some of her toes in the operation to reduce the risk of MRSA spreading, and she showed signs of recovery. But the MRSA infected the graft, causing both breakdowns. Linda Barker-Jones, infection control manager at Wigan Infirmary, said that steps were taken to reduce the spread of MRSA, including antibiotic baths and drugs.
Link: MRSA ITV
The family of a severely brain-damaged woman are blaming her tragic condition on the hospital superbug MRSA. Brenda Crickmore went into hospital for a routine test - but now she is unable to walk, talk or even communicate with her family Mrs Crickmore went into hospital for an operation to examine her bile ducts. She developed a swollen pancreas and went into intensive care. There, her family believes she was infected with MRSA which led to the brain damage she now suffers. Daughter Rachel said: "I remember her talking to us before we knew she was getting sedated - she turned around to us all and said 'I love you more than the whole wide world'. "That's the last thing I remember her saying." The Crickmore family met actress Leslie Ash - herself a victim of hospital superbug - at a summit on MRSA organised by the Patients Association.
Link: dailyrecord
HEART patient Anthony Duncan lost five toes to the MRSA superbug - without knowing he was infectedThe bug got into a gash when Anthony, 66, stood on a nail as he convalesced at home following a triple-heart bypass. At one stage, doctors feared they would have to amputate his foot because it was so bad. Anthony, who lives on Burray, Orkney, had the heart operation at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. He was diagnosed with MRSA when he went to Balfour Hospital in Kirkwall, but doctors there were unable to say exactly where he contracted the bug. Anthony explained: 'They put me on strong antibiotics to flush the infection out of my system but the tissue in my toes was already dead and they had to be cut offLucky The retired boat-builder, who has three daughters, is being cared for at home by wife Elaine. She admitted: 'He is very lucky it wasn't worse. We are not sure where it could have come from.' With many patients sent to hospitals on the mainland for treatment, Orkney health officials have taken extra steps to prevent them bringing the bug back.
Link: icTeesside - I had MRSA Four times.
A mother-of-two has spoken of her despair after she battled MRSA four times at the same Teesside hospital. Diane Jackson, of Linthorpe, was so ill she had to have antibiotics pumped directly into her chest to save her life after the deadly superbug struck. The 32-year-old caught the infection at the then North Tees General Hospital in Stockton four times, after she underwent surgery on her back and pelvis. She is now calling for more thorough cleaning of hospitals to stop the spread of the bug. "I was in total disbelief when I had it the fourth time. "Back then no one had really heard of it."
Link: BBC NEWS | Northern Ireland | Man recounts MRSA hospital ordeal.
A County Antrim man has spoken about how he had to have his leg amputated after he contracted the MRSA superbug. Ashley Bell was admitted to the Lagan Valley Hospital in Lisburn following a lung infection three years ago. It was only when he left the hospital that he found out he had MRSA. He said he was left with no choice but to have his leg removed to save his life. Mr Bell said people should protest to government about the superbug and be vigilant about hospital hygiene. "Until people start talking, shouting and fighting about this problem, the government is just going to wipe it under the carpet," he said.
Link: The Sun
A NEW mum who caught MRSA in hospital only found out when she got home and read her baby’s medical notes. Rebecca Russell, 28, was left screaming in agony as the condition worsened and she ended up needing a large black lump removed from her stomach. The case comes amid fears that hospitals are covering up deaths from MRSA — thought to kill 5,000 hospital patients a year. Last night mum-of-four Rebecca was waiting anxiously to find out if son Michael also had the superbug — after he fell ill with an upset stomach. Rebecca picked up the disease after a Caesarean birth at City Hospital, Birmingham. A swab was taken to test for MRSA and she was told she would be informed if it was positive. But she heard nothing until a midwife told her three days later during a home visit that she had an infection. It was only when Rebecca, of Winson Green, looked through Michael’s notes she discovered she had the disease.
Link: Fenland Today
A 16-YEAR-OLD girl who lost her unborn baby after a car crash then contracted the potentially-fatal MRSA bug while in hospital. Stacey Ellington's mum thought her daughter was going to die, and says the teenager has been 'scarred for life'. Rosie (45) has described events of the past weeks as a "nightmare" and "terrible". After the crash on January 14, Stacey underwent a ten-and-a-half hour operation at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, before being transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital at Cambridge. She was unconscious for a fortnight and may have caught antibiotic resistant MRSA in either hospital. "I thought she was going to die," said Rosie, adding her daughter had been "scarred for life" physically and emotionally.
Link: this is derbyshire
A man who died at a Derby hospital after years of struggling with kidney problems had the MRSA superbug, an inquest heard. Marvin Sutton (32), of Birdcage Walk, Mackworth, died at Derby City General Hospital on December 6, 2003, after years of illness. Yesterday, Dr Christopher McIntyre, a consultant at the hospital, told Derby Coroner's Court that it was possible that Mr Sutton "died with MRSA but not from it." Dr McIntyre said: "Mr Sutton was prone to a huge number of potentially life-threatening diseases that were not standard.
Link: Salford Advertiser - News.
FEARS about the killer superbug MRSA have bought back painful memories for an Eccles amputee who woke up during an operation to remove both legs. Five years ago Robert McDougall, 50, was admitted to Manchester Royal Infirmary for a routine operation to treat a foot ulcer but a day later the ulcer became infected and Robert was diagnosed with MRSA. Doctors fought for 19 months to contain the infection and even used live maggots to eat away the infected flesh on Robert’s right foot but the bug kept spreading and one toe was amputated, then two more until eventually Robert lost both his legs from below the knee.
Link: Superbug claims "fighter" Audrey.
A WOMAN who spent 30 years battling arthritis and then faced a fight for life following a horrific car crash ended up dying in hospital after being infected with the MRSA superbug, an inquest heard. Audrey Lund, 73, was confined to her home by her long illness and was being driven to a hospital appointment by her husband when their car was involved in an accident on the M62 near Eccles. She suffered fractured ribs and bruising and was placed in an intensive care unit. Mrs Lund, of Swinton, died of blood poisoning in hospital nearly three weeks after the accident and a post mortem revealed she had been infected with the MRSA superbug. The inquest in Bolton heard that Mrs Lund was on her way to Warrington Hospital for an appointment a week before Christmas when the accident happened.
Link: icNewcastle
The grieving family of a 20-year-old woman claim the hospital superbug MRSA killed her. Gemma Clarke had been battling the infection for years when she died in Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary. Her family say MRSA left her covered in painful sores and with green pus seeping from wounds. Gemma, who had cerebral palsy, was taken into hospital after coming down with pneumonia. The illness was recorded as the primary cause of death but her family are convinced she would still be here today except for MRSA. Doctors aren't obliged to mention MRSA on a death certificate as a secondary cause of death.
Link: icSouthlondon - Mum catches MRSA after heart bypass.
A MUM-OF-TWO who survived a major heart operation now fears for her life after she was told she had the deadly MRSA bug. The devastating news was broken to 34-year-old Nicky Halliday as she recovered at home following the heart bypass. Her family are furious after The Heart Hospital in central London said it was now up to her to get treatment to fight the virus. Nicky, of Sherwood Avenue, Streatham, who is struggling to breathe after the surgery, told the South London Press: "I went in for a heart bypass operation and did not expect to come out with a deadly bug. "I was horrified when the hospital rang and told me I had caught it while I was in there. "They are not giving me the support I need to deal with this virus.
Link: this is leicestershire
The devastated parents of a 16-year-old boy who died after contracting MRSA say his inquest has left them with more questions than answers. Daniel Youds died in Glenfield Hospital in August last year, two weeks after a routine operation. At his 90-minute inquest at Leicester Town Hall yesterday, coroner Martin Symington recorded a verdict of death by misadventure. Doctors admitted Daniel died due to MRSA, but could not confirm at which stage of the medical process he caught it. Afterwards, mum Liz Youds, 39, of Corby, said she hoped her son's death was not in vain: "The only crumb of comfort I have is that Daniel's legacy is an improvement in cleanliness.
Link: The Citizen
Hygiene at a hospital came under fire yesterday following claims by a Gloucestershire woman that her husband died of a superbug after being admitted to a "filthy" ward. Conditions at the debt-ridden Royal United Hospital (RUH) in Bath, highlighted in a controversial TV documentary in January, were raised in the Commons by Cotswold Tory MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown yesterday. The MP told a debate on hospital-acquired infections of the tragic death of the husband of his constituent, Zoe White, from Tetbury Upton, near Tetbury. He said in the Opposition debate on superbugs: "I have the permission of my constituent, Mrs White, to use her case. She came to my surgery in a very distressed state because her husband had died of a suspected hospital-acquired disease in the Royal United hospital in Bath.
Link: Something must be done to stop MRSA.
A WINSFORD mother whose son died of the superbug MRSA is facing an anxious wait while her other son receives hospital treatment. Mavis Law, of Beckenham Grove, is campaigning for urgent action to eradicate the hospital acquired infection and prevent any more deaths. Mavis' son Colin died of MRSA at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in 2003, aged 32 and now her other son Karl, 36, is receiving treatment following surgery on his knee. Mavis said: "It is very worrying because of what happened to Colin. "I am terrified about going into hospital and Karl is now my youngest son and having him in hospital brings it all back. "He is constantly in and out of hospital and I am extremely concerned." Since Colin died in 2003 Mavis has joined an MRSA support group and lobbied MPs demanding a clean up of hospitals. She said: "We have travelled down to London to speak to politicians and I also got to know a microbiologist who is doing a lot of work on MRSA. "People don't realise that they may take the MRSA into hospital when they visit patients so it really is important that something is done.
Link: ShropshireStar.com
The family of an 80-year-old Shropshire woman, who has caught the MRSA superbug and is suffering from "horrendous" bed sores, have made an official complaint to hospital bosses about what they claim is an "unacceptable level" of care and nursing. They also allege that at one time Mrs Hildegard Ward was not being fed properly at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and lost a lot of weight. But it is the MRSA infection that Robert and Amanda Levy say is the "final straw" that has persuaded them to write to the acting chief executive of the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust. Today the trust said that the complaints would be fully investigated but stressed that it was doing everything possible to minimise the risk of infections. Mr and Mrs Levy, of Eider Drive, Apley, Telford, say they were not alerted to the fact that Mr Levy's mother had MRSA and this could have been carried to their son James, 28, who is receiving chemotherapy treatment for leukemia.
Link: Harborough Today
FORMER Times editor Charlie Wilson, who lives in Great Bowden, is on the road to recovery following a life-threatening battle with the superbug MRSA. Mr Wilson, who is currently recuperating at his second home in London, fell from his horse and fractured his pelvis in November. A series of complications, including contracting MRSA twice, put Mr Wilson in hospital for more than two-and-a-half months.
Link: icDumfries
EILEEN Maxwell broke her arm in a fall back in March. Today, almost a year on, it is still broken. On Monday, doctors told her it could be another three months before they get around to operating. The bone in Eileen’s upper right arm — the radius — is snapped cleanly in two. It means her arm hangs loosely, held together by muscle and flesh. She is constantly on painkillers to relieve the agony. And this week she asked: “Would the doctors have left any of their relatives with a broken arm for so long?” According to Eileen (left), who is 47, three bouts of MRSA stopped her being treated last year.
Link: icNewcastle
Tormented Neil Goodger told today of his two-year battle with the hospital superbug MRSA. The 29-year-old has undergone a string of operations to treat a rare and painful skin illness that causes cysts to form in his groin and armpits. But to make the situation worse Neil, who lives with his wife Joanne and 17-month-old son Reece in High Spen, Gateshead, has also been battling MRSA which has been stopping some of his wounds healing. He said: "They picked up the infection in a routine swab and I can't seem to shake it off. "They keep finding it in one area, then the next swab comes back clear, then it reappears in a different place.
Link: ic Coventry - Couple tell of MRSA 'nightmare'.
A Coventry couple have told of their "nightmare" after the wife was found to be carrying the MRSA superbug. Worried Rose Smallman and husband Jim say they are living in daily fear over whether or not Rose has managed to shrug off the potentially deadly bug. They want specialists at Walsgrave Hospital to carry out tests to ensure Mrs Smallman is no longer infected. However, hospital chiefs say it is not "routine practice" to test patients who are discharged.
Link: News.
For any pensioner, the prospect of surgery in hospital is worrying, but for Bob McReight it is terrifying. The 75-year-old had to have a leg amputated after contracting MRSA at the old Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh. Four years later, his wife Margaret, now aged 68, was in the same hospital and she also caught the disease. She still has problems walking. Mr McReight now has problems with his elbows. He says the prospect of returning to hospital, albeit another one this time, is shattering for both him and his wife. "I am dead scared to go in. But I won't go if they won't let me come home. I am not staying in after the operation. If they are not going to do that, I am not going. I don't trust those people," said the retired lorry driver yesterday.
Link: Bury St.Edmunds Today
The family of brave road accident girl Debz Parkes are feeling 'raw' after finding out she has contracted MRSA in hospital. They were told the dreadful news that the 16-year-old from Red Lodge had contracted the infection this week – if it gets through to her bones, it could be very serious, said her father. Debz has fought for survival after being involved in a collision with a van while walking to work on November 17. She was left unconscious with a broken leg, pelvis and other severe injuries.
Link: this is nottingham - news, entertainment, jobs, homes and cars.
The deadly MRSA bug is a growing source of fear throughout the UK. LUCY PEACOCK spoke to one family who have first-hand experience of its devastating consequences. Adelaide Stevenson's humour and strength were central to her family's life. When the 80-year-old grandmother went into hospital with a broken leg, her family were nearly always by her bedside. But something went wrong at the Queen's Medical Centre. The 80-year-old developed an extremely large, severe pressure sore and tragically for her, the open wound became infected with the deadly super bug MRSA.
Link: ic SurreyOnline
A GREAT-GRANDMOTHER has lodged an official complaint after contracting the superbug MRSA at East Surrey Hospital. Ellen Treliving, 74, was admitted to the hospital in Redhill last month with cellulitis, a bacterial infection of the skin. While there she contracted MRSA - which doctors have so far been unable to treat. Mrs Treliving feels the standard of cleanliness at the hospital is "absolutely disgusting" and is responsible for her infection.
Link: ic NorthWales - My routine op turned into MRSA nightmare.
A GRAN yesterday told how hospital superbug MRSA left her fighting for her life. Jane Jones went for a routine gall bladder operation but ended up in a hospital's intensive care unit when MRSA was found in the wound. The 49-year-old was moved to an isolation unit at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor. Now back home in Maes Hedd, Holyhead, the mum-of-three is still unable to return to her taxi telephonist job and faces further surgery. Although the MRSA has been banished, she still has to visit her Holyhead GP's surgery for the wound to be dressed.
Link: This Is Local London
A grieving family claims poor hygiene at St George's Hospital led to the MRSA-related death of a beloved son and brother. Distraught mother Dorothy Piesley and sister Debbie Stenning are also furious with the Tooting hospital for a communication blunder which led to the family losing precious hours with Graham Piesley. St George's has apologised for failing to alert the family about Mr Piesley's worsening condition, but maintains the site is kept clean and says he may have caught the MRSA bacterial infection before being treated at the hospital. Mrs Stenning said her 55-year-old brother, who lived in Roons Close, Mitcham, had a successful bowel operation on October 14, but suffered chest problems and died three weeks later from multiple organ failure.
Link: Scotsman.com
More than two-thirds of people are worried about being hit by deadly superbugs if they have to go into hospital, a survey revealed today. The researchers found that 68% of people would be “very concerned” or “quite concerned” about MRSA, which is resistant to most antibiotics, if they had to have treatment. And almost a third (30%) said they may avoid going into hospital at all unless it was an emergency because of the risk from infections. Hospital-acquired infections, including MRSA, have soared in recent years and are blamed for 5,000 deaths a year.
ic NorthWales
PENSIONER John Wardell spoke yesterday of his daily battle against hospital superbug MRSA. The 74-year-old picked up the potentially deadly infection after a major hip replacement operation at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Bodelwyddan. The former theatre manager from Rhyl grew suspicious when the wound started to weep and he developed a high temperature. His condition deteriorated to such an extent he was transferred to Wrexham Maelor hospital and placed on a life-support machine. He underwent five further operations under anaesthetic in a bid to sterilise the infection and 16 daily invasive treatments of the wound, which opened to the bone.
Superbug victim's mum will fight on
Colin had gone into hospital to be assessed for a liver transplant - a procedure that should have taken around five days. However, one week led to another without any explanation as to why it was taking so long. The family went to the hospital every other day and noticed Colin was becoming more ill each time. His legs became badly swollen up to his groin and they were weeping fluid. On the next visit there was shattering news. A doctor and nurse were by Colin's bed after he asked them to tell him the truth - good or bad. Mavis said: "I held his hand and the doctor took his other hand. "I will never forget the pain of seeing Colin's face looking at each of us as we tried to hold back the tears when the doctor told us gently that Colin was dying - that all of his organs were failing and that he also had pneumonia.
Worcester Standard
It was after she underwent surgery and she was transferred to Newtown it became apparent she had contracted the MRSA superbug through a wound which had opened up on her hip. Mrs Knibb survived but the debilitating effects of the bug coupled with recovering from her hip injury means she is unable to return home and is now being cared for at a city nursing home.
More of this poignant story at the link above
Pontypool
Mrs Harris said: "On the Tuesday (following the haemorrhage) it looked better and they said they were going to take him off life support but they didn't." The family were told that Mr Harris' was already a carrier and the bug was found in his nose and at the back of his throat. MRSA though often associated with hospital wards also occurs in one in three people. Kevin's brother Mark Harris said: "On the Wednesday he took a turn for the worse, and after they said he had MRSA he went downhill fast."
News Shopper
A REPORT outlining the care a terminally-ill woman received before she died at Darent Valley Hospital "stinks", says her father.
The report, issued this month, follows complaints from the family of Elizabeth Dawson, who they believe died prematurely on March 31 due to inadequate hospital care.
It reveals the 45-year-old, of Heath Lane, Dartford, contracted MRSA which the family had not known before.
And it accepts the mum-of-four should not have been discharged, only to return later that day and die four days afterwards from her abdomen becoming inflamed due to a leak in her nutritional tube.
ic Coventry
A Nuneaton amputee who is trying to prove a link between poor hygiene and the hospital superbug MRSA is to take his crusade to the House of Commons. University lecturer Edmund Hopkins, 66, whose right leg had to be amputated after he contracted the infection at Nuneaton's George Eliot Hospital, has been invited to meet a government health chief. Mr Hopkins, who lives in Sterling Way, Nuneaton, will travel to London on October 20 for a face-to-face meeting with Lord Norman Warner, the permanent parliamentary secretary of state for health.
Herts24
A CHAIN of problems including contraction of the MRSA superbug led to the death of an elderly man, an inquest heard. David Evans of Wheatley Road, WGC, died of bronchopneumonia at the QE2 Hospital on May 8 after being rendered immobile by two hip operations.
After suffering a fall at Hyde Valley House care home in March, Mr Evans was given an artificial hip part, but the wound later became infected and it was removed in a second operation.
Subsequent tests showed Mr Evans had contracted MRSA. Hatfield Coroner's Court heard on Thursday how Mr Evans also suffered from diabetes and kidney problems, which made him more susceptible to infection, and had a history of respiratory problems. Coroner Edward Thomas said: "The natural conditions he already had, compromised his ability to fight the infection.
This is a sad story - click the link above for full information
A heartbroken man today said the devastating MRSA superbug robbed him of precious time with his sick father. Alfred Shailer, 88, died at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital on July 10 from bladder cancer. But his son David, 51, is furious because he was not told his father had been infected with MRSA.Mr Shailer, who lives in Montcalm Road, Thorpe Hamlet, with his wife Susan and three children Damian, 21, Nathan, 19, and Kirsten, 17, was simply told his father was suffering from a stomach bug. He was strongly advised not to visit his dad, who would have been 89 on Wednesday, in case the infection spread.
Evening Times
A NEW mum has died after contracting three superbugs weeks after giving birth in a Glasgow hospital. Jacqui Munro, 28, suffered from a flesh-eating bug after having her daughter Rachael by Caesarean at the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital. She battled the infection for weeks but was then struck down by sepsis and MRSA.
EDP24 News
A pensioner said he was “lucky to be alive” after picking up a potentially fatal bug at Norfolk's flagship hospital. After three life-saving operations in as many years, 72-year-old John Riches thought he was on the road to recovery. But just days after cancer surgery at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital in June, the pensioner was told he was the latest victim of the drug-resistant MRSA bug. Now the former council worker is worried that hours of surgery and the skills of doctors could be for nothing – and he fears it could kill him.
The Sun
A GRANDAD who was beating cancer now has just days to live after getting the MRSA bug from a bed sore. John Moore, 76, was receiving treatment for a tumour that had spread from his spine to the top of his legs. Doctors started radiotherapy to shrink the cancer — and it appeared to respond. But poor nursing care meant John, of Roydon, Essex, developed a bed sore on his leg.
this is bath
Mrsa turned a week-long stay in hospital into a six-week ordeal for one Bath man. Jim Yuille had a heart attack in April last year and had a triple heart bypass at the Bristol Royal Infirmary in January. He was expecting to be in hospital for a week and then continue his recovery at home but he contracted MRSA. After he was sent home, his wife Sue watched him deteriorate for four days until he was returned to hospital by an emergency GP.
Scotsman.com
ELIZABETH Miller is living proof of Scotland’s MRSA crisis, although she wouldn’t put her narrow escape from the deadly virus down to particularly good medical practice. Four months ago Ms Miller, 67, a retired factory worker from Lanarkshire, began a landmark legal action against an NHS Board, demanding up to �20,000 in compensation, claiming that poor hygiene caused her to contract the infection in Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
She was admitted to the hospital for routine heart surgery and says her health is still suffering as a result. Her lawyers are currently waiting on legal aid for the test case. Professor Hugh Pennington, Scotland’s leading bacteriologist, is among a number of experts who have supported her. He firmly believes her plight was caused by poor standards of hygiene.
sundaymail
HOSPITAL bosses have been accused of failing to tell a family a seriously ill relative had the deadly MRSA bug. Frail Mary Duncan, 79, of Cellardyke, Fife, was admitted to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee suffering from necrotising fasciitis - the flesh-eating disease - two weeks ago and died last Sunday. Her family were only told she contracted MRSA after a leg operation in May when they asked why the death certificate listed organ failure as the cause of death.
ic Birmingham
Former hospital patients who have come into contact with the MRSA superbug are clamouring to tell a Birmingham council inquiry about their experiences. A telephone hotline fielded 65 calls in three hours after the local authority appealed for anecdotal evidence of the potentially lethal bug.
ic Berkshire
A MORTIMER pensioner, who was taken to hospital when he burned himself on an electric fire, spent four months fighting for his life after contracting the MRSA superbug. Sprightly William O'Donoghue, 76, a village "superstar" famed for running errands for his neighbours, was admitted to Battle Hospital in Reading in February, after burning his foot. Two weeks later, he was transferred to Wexham Park Hospital at Slough, where doctors amputated his lower leg because the burn had penetrated to the bone. While still recuperating at Wexham Park, Mr O'Donoghue was diagnosed with the MRSA bug.
East Anglian Daily Times
A STUDENT who contracted MRSA while being treated for a kidney complaint at one of the region's hospitals has spoken of her fury at the way her condition has been handled. Rachel Reeve, 21, contracted the hospital superbug - Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) - while undergoing an operation at Ipswich Hospital in October 2002 to remove a blockage in her right kidney.
The Suffolk College student, from Martlesham Heath, near Ipswich, has since been in and out of the hospital suffering from a throat infection, further kidney problems and a toe infection but claims doctors had not been told of her MRSA status.
from Hendon Times
Teresah Anwell spent long periods in Barnet Hospital between 2000 and 2002.
She was admitted with diverticulitis, an intestinal inflammation, and she returned home with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), a potentially-lethal infection also known as the hospital superbug.
MRSA superbug Discussion Forum
The human reality for families around the world can be found in the postings on this forum
MRSA superbug Discussion Forum
Helpful Forum and discussion group
The Cambridge Times
A young March widow whose husband contracted the hospital superbug MRSA, wants hospitals to clean up their act in a bid to stop other patients and families suffering in the same way.Ian Gibbons was admitted to hospital last February. He died eight months later after antibiotics failed to wipe out the bug (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus). The cause of his death was recorded as multi organ and renal failure, septicaemia and deep infected pressure sores.
Scotsman.com
The daughter of a man who died after contracting MRSA in hospital demanded today to know how he was infected with the superbug. Milton Turner, 74, was admitted to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in Gloucester for pneumonia and a suspected heart attack. But three mont