MRSA, Mersa, Staph, Staff Infection, Treatment & Symptoms

MRSA superbug still a threat in Irish Hospitals

Hospital superbug still a threat - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie.

The figures for each hospital should be put in context, with larger hospitals that cater for greater numbers of patients with complex illnesses likely to experience more cases of MRSA. Moreover, even where patients are diagnosed with MRSA while in hospital, there is every chance that they could have picked it up before they were transferred, the report pointed out. The latest figures also confirm the continued threat from another superbug, MSSA. There were 470 reported cases of this infection in the first six months of the year. Resistant MRSA is resistant to a range of common antibiotics but doctors treating someone with MSSA have a greater choice of drugs to work on the patient. Both diseases can put a patient's life in danger and the death rate is about twice as high for people infected with MRSA as it is for those with MSSA.

Sharp rise in Irish antibiotic use fuelling MRSA?

Sharp rise in medical card use of antibiotics - The Irish Times - Tue, Nov 04, 2008.

The research, published yesterday, identified a 25 per cent increase in antibiotic prescribing for medical card patients between 2000 and 2005. Dr Bernadette McGowan and colleagues at the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics and the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at St James's Hospital, Dublin examined the prescribing of antibiotics by GPs in the General Medical Service (GMS) scheme. All prescription data for oral antibiotics used to treat infections involving the respiratory, urinary and other systems was analysed to identify prescribing trends. The results, published in the current issue of the Irish Medical Journal, show the prescribing of certain antibiotics has risen sharply. Doxycycline use increased by 95 per cent, while the use of flucloxacillin, a drug primarily used for soft tissue infections, rose by 42 per cent. Of particular concern was the doubling of prescribing of the quinolone group of antibiotics. A number of studies have identified a link between quinolone use and the subsequent development of healthcare-acquired infections such as clostridium difficile and MRSA. The most commonly prescribed quinolone was the drug ciprofloxacin. According to the authors, some 80 per cent of antibiotics are used to treat respiratory tract infections. They say that up to 50 per cent of antimicrobial prescribing in humans may be inappropriate. A number of reports have concluded that the prescribing of antibiotics for the treatment of sore throats, sinusitis, acute bronchitis and middle ear infection has a minimal effect. But patient expectation and pressure also contribute to inappropriate antibiotic prescribing.

Letterkenny Baby MRSA Cases not the First

Link: 'I didn't know my baby could catch superbug' - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie.

WHEN one young mother took her new-born baby home from Letterkenny General Hospital she knew something was wrong. "I noticed a bad smell coming from his tummy button and it didn't look like it was healing," she recalled. Worried, she took her baby son back to the hospital and the wound was swabbed and tested. The next day she was contacted by her GP who said her baby had tested positive for MRSA. The infection soon spread to his eye, nose, throat and groin. "I was gutted and didn't know where to turn. I didn't know a baby could get MRSA," she said. Speaking to the Irish Independent yesterday after the revelations of further cases at the hospital she said she was shocked it could still be happening four months later. "I just gaped. I couldn't believe it and it brought everything back," she said.

Babies contract hospital superbug

Link: BBC NEWS | Northern Ireland | Foyle and West | Babies contract hospital superbug.

Three babies in Letterkenny General Hospital in County Donegal have tested positive for the superbug MRSA. A hospital spokesperson said measures had been taken to control the outbreak, including specialist cleaning of areas within the maternity unit. A screening programme has also been introduced for patients and staff. The hospital's Consultant Microbiologist, Dr Michael Mulherin, said staff had followed best practice guidelines on dealing with MRSA.

MRSA growing in Eire

Link: Mayo Advertiser.

There were 20 cases of MRSA at Mayo General Hospital last year, a new report has highlighted. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre published the figures which revealed that the number of MRSA cases in Mayo General Hospital in 2007 saw an increase of 12 confirmed cases from 2006 when there were just eight cases. St James’ Hospital in Dublin had 61 cases, the most of any hospital in the state, with Roscommon County Hospital reporting a fall in the number of cases from four to three last year from 2006. Sligo General Hospital also had a reduction in the number of cases from 16 to 13, while there were 30 cases at University Hospital Galway.

MRSA cases shows little reduction in Irish Hospitals

Link: ireland.com - Breaking News - MRSA cases shows little reduction.

The number of infections with the bloodstream infection MRSA in Irish hospitals was slightly down last year but not to a significant degree, a report has found. There were 526 cases of MRSA in 53 hospitals in 2007, compared with 572 the previous year - a drop of 8 per cent. The HSE published data on health care-associated infection (HCAI) in acute public hospitals but warned against making comparisons between hospitals because of different levels of patient activity and differences in the clinical services they provide. It also said the data provided by the hospitals and collated in the report did not take account of different methodology applied by the hospitals in collecting it.

Hospital post ‘too late’ for 16 victims of MRSA

Link: Hospital post ‘too late’ for 16 victims of MRSA - Latest News, Health - Independent.ie.

HSE plans to appoint an expert microbiologist to a Dublin hospital which saw 16 infection related deaths in a seven-month period has been called "too little, too late". MRSA and Families campaigner Teresa Graham told the Herald that despite the welcome attempt “to get their act together”, HSE managers who kept the post empty until now have already failed the patients who died. And she said the Irish strategy of “turning a blind eye until it becomes so blatant that you can't ignore it” had to end before any real change is made.

HSE rebukes 'alarmist' laundry infection claim

Link: HSE rebukes 'alarmist' laundry infection claim - Features, Lifestyle - Nenaghguardian.ie.

The Health Service Executive has described as 'alarmist and irresponsible' a claim from a Limerick based Sinn Féin representative that hospitals and nursing homes in North Tipperary are being put at risk of infection over the HSE's system of transporting laundry. Maurice Quinlivan last week stated that the HSE was transporting clean laundry to nursing homes and hospitals in North Tipperary, Limerick and Clare in the same lorry as dirty laundry, severely increasing the risk of contamination from infections such as MRSA. Mr Quinlaven said that contaminated laundry marked 'MRSA' is often transported in the same lorry and claimed senior management in the HSE was aware of this practice. 'Whilst no one can claim for certainty that cross-contamination is taking place, what is certain is that this is a disgraceful practice,' Mr Quinlivan said last week. 'Senior management in the HSE must take responsibility for putting patient care at risk in such a cavalier manner.

MRSA cases fall slightly as threat of infection persists

Link: MRSA cases fall slightly as threat of infection persists - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie.

THE numbers of patients becoming infected with potentially lethal hospital superbug MRSA fell only slightly last year, despite promises to step up the fight against superbugs. Newly released figures show there were 533 cases of bloodstream MRSA infection reported last year, compared with 588 in 2006. Trend Although the trend has been downward since 2005 -- when there were 592 cases -- patients remain at serious risk of infection. Health Minister Mary Harney said the target over the next three to five years remains to reduce hospital-acquired infections by 20pc and MRSA by 30pc. The aim is to cut our use of antibiotics, which contribute to the growth in these infections, by a fifth, she said. However, the Irish Independent has learned that there are only 11 hospitals around the country which have full-time in-house microbiologists.

Coroner seeks action over 'superbug' incidence in Dublin

Link: ireland.com - The Irish Times - Fri, Apr 25, 2008 - Coroner seeks action over 'superbug' incidence.

THE DUBLIN county coroner is to write to HSE chief executive Brendan Drumm requesting the prompt appointment of a microbiologist at a Dublin hospital following a high incidence of "superbug" related deaths at the facility. GEORGINA O'HALLORAN reports. Dr Kieran Geraghty has called for urgent intervention at St Columcille's Hospital, Loughlinstown, following the death of 16 people with hospital-acquired infections at the south Dublin hospital over a seven-month period in 2007. Of the 16 deaths, 10 cases relate to Clostridium difficile , commonly known as C diff. In five of those cases, C diff infection was the direct cause of death, with the infection cited as a contributory factor in a further five deaths, according to statistics released by the Dublin county coroner's office. Six deaths were related to the hospital bug MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ) and in half of those cases MRSA was cited as the direct cause of death. The bug played a contributory part in another three deaths.

Harney welcomes plan to identify Irish MRSA blackspots

Link: Harney welcomes plan to identify MRSA blackspots - Ireland - Breaking News - Belfast Telegraph.

The Health Minister is welcoming the news that hospitals plagued with MRSA are to be named and shamed. Currently, only the number of infections are disclosed and not the locations. From April, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre will reveal infection rates in individual hospitals. The details will be available to the public on the internet on a quarterly basis. Minister Mary Harney says the development is part of a much-needed plan to reduce MRSA infections by around a third by the end of 2010.

Irish hospitals brought to book

Link: The Dublin People Group of Newspapers - Irish hospitals brought to book.

She aimed to uncover how the superbug MRSA could plague so many Irish hospitals and reveal the real truths behind that bone of contention - co-location. “The book should have taken about 18 months but I wanted to bring it out before the general election so I managed to do it in nine gruelling months,” she told Northside People. “I guess you could say it came out of the work I was previously doing as a health analyst. I also belong to the Health Services Action Group which campaigns to maintain smaller hospitals in Ireland.” According to Marie, the book deals with a lot of burning issues. “There is a chapter on the MRSA bug called the ‘Killing Wards’,” she explained. “I uncovered how patients who have the bug are treated in beds right next to those who haven’t been infected in some intensive care units (ICU).

Patients & visitors sabotage MRSA Action

Link: Hygiene in our hospitals - Letters, Opinion - Independent.ie.

I was a patient overnight in Saint Vincent's Hospital Elm Park recently and was looked after with great care and attention. On being discharged I waited at the main entrance to the building, where there are signs about the winter vomiting bug and rows of alcohol handwash for people to use both entering and leaving the hospital. While waiting for my taxi, 38 people entered the hospital and only 11 used the wash or even stopped to read the notice. One woman actually said out loud 'F**k that, I'm here to visit my mother,' and carried on. How are hospitals to win the fight against MRSA and other infections if the stupid 'It will never happen to me' brigade won't take the few seconds to clean their hands. If not prepared to do it for themselves, they should think of their relatives who are being cared for in the hospital environment. It's the general public at large are to blame for spreading infection, from what I witnessed.

Hospitals knew of MRSA risk to patients

Link: Galway News |Exclusive - Hospitals knew of MRSA risk to patients | www.galwaynews.ie.

Hospital management in both University College Hospital Galway and Merlin Park knew that patients were at risk of contracting the hospital bug, MRSA, yet failed to contain or manage the spread of the infection. Minutes of meetings of the Infection Control Committee, which oversees both hospitals, show that management were aware of the extent and seriousness of MRSA for at least a decade and quite possibly as far back as the late ’80s. The minutes, which have been acquired by the Sentinel, show that the Committee were angry at hospital management for failing to implement a policy adopted to control the spread of the superbug.

Eire MRSA not dropping

Link: MRSA a scandal–SF.

 

The       continuing prevalence of MRSA in Irish hospitals is a national scandal,         according to Sinn Fein.The       party's Health Spokesman Caoimhghin O'Caolain said new figures from the       Health Protection Surveillance Centre show that the number of MRSA bloodstream       infections reported by hospitals last year was only five less then the       year before.

More Tests, More Testers Needed in Irish Hospitals

Link: Irish Medical Times.

Tests to detect MRSA under a patient’s bed in Mayo General Hospital were all 100 per cent positive, Dr Michael Thornton, consultant anaesthetist, has told Irish Medical Times. Dr Thornton, who works in Mayo General Hospital, said the methods for detecting MRSA are not good enough and improved facilities, isolation rooms and improved screening methods are needed. “One-hundred per cent of swabs taken from under a patient’s bed, a patient who had MRSA, were positive, we found,” said Dr Thornton. “We need systematic screening programmes to detect infections. There are too many patients on our wards, and I think only 13 of our 53 acute hospitals have proper access to a consultant microbiologist.”

More Tests, More Testers Needed in Irish Hospitals

Link: Irish Medical Times.

Tests to detect MRSA under a patient’s bed in Mayo General Hospital were all 100 per cent positive, Dr Michael Thornton, consultant anaesthetist, has told Irish Medical Times. Dr Thornton, who works in Mayo General Hospital, said the methods for detecting MRSA are not good enough and improved facilities, isolation rooms and improved screening methods are needed. “One-hundred per cent of swabs taken from under a patient’s bed, a patient who had MRSA, were positive, we found,” said Dr Thornton. “We need systematic screening programmes to detect infections. There are too many patients on our wards, and I think only 13 of our 53 acute hospitals have proper access to a consultant microbiologist.”

Sinn Fein want MRSA Action

Link: Kilkenny Advertiser.

Sinn Fein representative Kathleen Funchion has heavily criticised the government and what she terms their “lethargic response to the deadly MRSA infection crisis which is striking fear into hospital patients throughout the state.” Ms Funchion said, that MRSA is now prevalent in every Irish hospital and the situation surrounding this deadly infection is extremely worrying for hospital patients. "A hospital stay is a very stressful time for patients, their families and friends, especially as they have to cope with long waiting times and overcrowded conditions," she said. "MRSA is a further worry which could be eradicated if proper action was taken by the government. “This state has one of the worst rates of MRSA infection in Europe. By this government presiding over a crumbling public healthcare system, with crowded wards and a distinct lack of single isolation rooms in hospitals, they are facilitating the spread of MRSA.

Irish patient groups say infection spending too low

Link: The Irish World : home : (Irish News).

Patient support groups are also demanding to know why only €1 per patient per day will be spent on hygiene services, the lethal bug MRSA becoming more and more of a problem. Liam Twomey of Fine Gael's, a GP in Wexford, said the government had some explaining to do: "Unfortunately the people who are lowest down the list are always those who need patient services," he said. "Management always look after what they feel is necessary before looking at patient needs.

MRSA Complicates Existing Illness

Link: eircom net

A man died at Dublin's Beaumont Hospital from pneumonia that was complicated by MRSA, an inquest has heard. Anthony O'Leary (69), a nursing home resident at TLC Centre, Santry, developed an abscess on a wound that tested positive for MRSA the day after he was readmitted to Beaumont. Mr O'Leary had a hip replacement at the hospital following a fall almost a month previously.