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

UK Health Minister pledges more action over superbugs

More via The Press Association: More can be done over hospital bugs.

The Government has "further" to go in its efforts to combat hospital bugs, the Health Secretary has said. Andy Burnham said he would give "careful consideration" to an MPs' report which said the Government had no idea how many people are dying from hospital bugs other than MRSA and C diff. But he warned against introducing "cumbersome systems of measuring data" to track the rise of infections. The committee said ministers have chosen to ignore two previous recommendations to monitor all infections linked to healthcare, including avoidable surgical site infections and pneumonias.

US Legislators beef up MRSA research

Antibiotic Resistance and the House and Senate Healthcare Bills : Mike the Mad Biologist.

The House bill focuses primarily on reporting of hospital-acquired infections. It's actually very specific, and there's an entire section dedicated to it (starting at p. 913). Hospitals would be penalized if they fail to report. Infections (and pertinent information, which includes resistance) would be publicly available and also broken down by demographic factors. The latter is really important, as hospitals traditionally have been reluctant to report these statistics since infection rates and resistance are strongly dependent on patient population (e.g., the elderly and the indigent are far more likely to have MRSA than the rest of the population). The House bill also specifies reducing healthcare associated infections as a high research priority--in fact, it's the first item (p. 1329). Also note the use of "health care associated infections": this could be interpreted to mean infections outside of hospitals, such as nursing homes.

State's hospitals must come clean on germs - Sacramento Politics

State's hospitals must come clean on germs - Sacramento Politics - California Politics | Sacramento Bee.

On her second night home after giving birth by Caesarean section to her fourth child, Cindy Gaston's incision burst open and pus began oozing out. Doctors at Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael, where she had given birth, later determined she was infected with methicillin-resistant staph aureus, or MRSA. The strain of a once-innocuous staph infection that has become invulnerable to first-line antibiotics kills more people each year than the AIDS virus and in most cases is contracted in hospitals. Beginning Thursday, legislation will be phased in requiring all 400 hospitals in the state to implement tougher infection control practices to stem outbreaks.

Target to cut MRSA virtually hit

Link: BBC NEWS | Health | Target to cut MRSA virtually hit.

Graham Tanner, chairman of the patient group National Concern for Healthcare Infections, said the results were "good news". But he added: "It should be remembered that over the last four years over 20,000 patients have suffered an MRSA infection and in excess of 200,000 have contracted C difficile." And the Tories accused the government of manipulating the target. They pointed out that if it was measured in the year leading up to March 2008, they would have missed by some margin. Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said the government had "dithered and delayed" on hospital infections and only hit the target by "moving the goalposts". Elsewhere in the UK, rates of MRSA are falling in Scotland and Northern Ireland, although in Wales they have remained fairly steady for the last four years.

MRSA plans to fail if no compassion claims report

Link: Targets are crowding out compassion in the NHS, claims report - Health News, Health & Wellbeing - The Independent.

A lack of compassion is putting patients at risk in the NHS, a new report will claim today. Failure to provide humane care has become endemic in the health services because beleaguered staff have too little time to pay adequate attention to fundamental human needs, the NHS Confederation report warns. Nurses and doctors cannot spend as much time as they should with patients, and are sidelining essential care elements such as diet, pain control and hygiene because NHS targets are driven by the need to satisfy budgets rather than by care and quality. Technical advances have made medicine more efficient but less humane, the report claims, and warns that government plans to tackle malnourishment and MRSA, as well as to give patients more dignity, are destined to fail unless compassion is restored to the heart of healthcare. Dr Robin Youngson, the report's author, said: "The most shocking thing is that these basic failings are the rule rather than the exception. Compassion as a concept is largely missing from health policy.

NHS hospitals lose 32,000 beds in a decade

Link: NHS hospitals lose 32,000 beds in a decade - Telegraph.

The cutbacks mean increasing numbers of hospitals are going on "black alert" – which involves closing their doors to new patients because they are full. Patients' groups described the loss of the beds, at a time when overcrowded wards have seen soaring rates of killer infections, as "a national scandal". The reduction contradicts a pledge from Tony Blair at the turn of the century that there would be 7,000 more NHS beds by 2010. New figures, seen by The Telegraph, show that the number of health service beds fell more than 8,000 last year, as the NHS began a reorganisation process which will mean the closure of dozens of hospitals.

Report On Hospital-Acquired Infections Criticises Key Agencies

Link: CQ's Armstrong Discusses Medicaid Legislation, Senate Hearing On FDA Funding, GAO Report On Hospital-Acquired Infections.

Lastly, Armstrong discusses a GAO report that found that government agencies are not doing enough to prevent hospital-acquired infections. GAO recommended that agencies such as CDC and CMS develop clear guidelines for hospitals on how they can fight infections. The report also states that there needs to be better information collecting so policymakers know more on how common the infections are, how they spread and what types of patients are affected. Armstrong says it is unclear whether lawmakers will draft legislation unless they see the need to change how the agencies are doing their jobs (Armstrong, "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ," 4/21). The complete audio version of "Health on the Hill," transcript and resources for further research are available online at kaisernetwork.org.

New Bill To Deal With MRSA And Staph Infections in Colorado

Link: New Bill To Deal With MRSA And Staph Infections.

Doctors are seeing 20 times the number of children with aggressive infections at Primary Children’s Medical Center than they did in 1989. This isn't a new problem, but it is getting worse. Representative Jim Matheson announced a bill today to deal with what we know as MRSA and staph infections.

Canadian authorities step up MRSA fight

Link: globeandmail.com: Ottawa targets hospital superbugs.

The federal government is launching a national effort targeting the superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in its bid to reduce the number of hospital-acquired infections that kill thousands of Canadians each year. An estimated 220,000 Canadians develop hospital-acquired infections each year, of which MRSA is one type, according to Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program figures. About 8,000 people die of them annually. Until now, efforts to reduce the prevalence of superbug infections have been largely left to individual hospitals, which resulted in inconsistent policies and outcomes. The annual death toll of hospital-acquired infections dwarfs that of the 2003 SARS outbreak, which killed 44 people nationwide. By targeting MRSA, Howard Njoo of the Public Health Agency of Canada said it is making patient safety in this country's hospitals a priority.

Government accused over MRSA target

Link: Channel 4 - News - Government accused over MRSA target.

The Government has been accused of dirty tricks after new details emerged of how it plans to hit a controversial MRSA target. The Liberal Democrats and Tories hit out after it emerged the Government was taking into account reductions in the MRSA rate including the first quarter of 2008/2009. In 2004, former health secretary John Reid said the Government would halve rates of MRSA by the end of March 2008. The Government confirmed it would use figures from April to June 2008 to calculate the figure.

MRSA fines could harm the very sick

Link: Cameron takes on Labour at their own game - icWales.

The doctors’ body suggested the MRSA fines might lead to hospitals choosing to treat only those patients less likely to develop post-op complications. It said, “We have to get away from something that says hospitals have to pay for the privilege of looking after people who are ‘expensive’.” Devolution has made the NHS a much more tangled political web, too. If Mr Cameron thinks there is too much top-down planning and too little market reform in the English NHS, he presumably has little time for the Welsh model, with its rejection of foundation hospitals and its wariness over independent-sector treatment centres.

Health Secretary Unveils New Infection Control Strategy, UK

Link: Health Secretary Unveils New Infection Control Strategy, UK.

Every hospital trust in England will be able to recruit two infection control nurses, two isolation nurses and an antimicrobial pharmacist with millions of pounds of extra investment for infection control in the NHS, Health Secretary Alan Johnson announced recently. New stringent requirements outlined today in the Government's strategy to tackle healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) also mean that NHS Foundation Trust applications will not be supported by the Secretary of State unless trusts are consistently hitting local targets on both MRSA and C. difficile. 'Clean, safe care' draws together current HCAI initiatives and details new areas where the NHS should invest the extra funding of �270 million per year by 2010/11 to support infection control and cleanliness in the NHS.

Legislation calls for testing patients to reduce spread of MRSA

Link: Legislation calls for testing patients to reduce spread of MRSA infections -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome." There is much debate about who authored this quote, but little doubt it holds true. Perhaps it is time to stop doing the same things over and over, and begin doing what we know works to contain the spread of hospital-based methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. That is why I sponsor legislation that would require surveillance to test admitted patients at hospitals and nursing homes for MRSA.

More legislation being promoted to fight MRSA in USA

Link: Covering the Hudson to the Catskills!.

In light of recent outbreaks of methicillin-resistant staphlococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in communities in Orange and Sullivan counties, Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther (D-Forestburgh) is promoting a bill she introduced earlier this year to fight the growing number of MRSA cases in hospitals, where many of the infections originate. “As a nurse, I saw the effects of MRSA infections in hospital patients, and I know that the proliferation of MRSA outside of hospitals — in our communities — could have far-reaching effects,” Gunther said. “That is why it is important that we establish a uniform protocol to help hospitals prevent MRSA infections.”

Why Aren’t The Feds Fighting MRSA Harder?

Link: Why Aren’t The Feds Fighting MRSA Harder?, Hospitals Are Adopting Superbug Screening, But The CDC Hasn’t Ordered Tests - CBS News.

The test for MRSA, a $20 swab of the nose, is done routinely at a handful of U.S. hospitals, all of which call the testing effective. At Loyola University in Chicago, testing has reduced MRSA infections by 50 percent. “We think it’s worthwhile because it’s putting our patients first,” said Loyola University’s Dr. Paul O’Keefe. Three states and the Veterans Administration have also ordered MRSA screenings for high risk patients - but the federal government, specifically the Centers for Disease Control, has not. The CDC, which declined an on camera interview, but told CBS News by phone that drug-resistant infections in hospitals have to be fought with multiple strategies.     CDC Head: Staph Is "The Cockroach Of Bacteria" Such strategies include better hospital hand hygiene enhanced cleaning, along with testing. Testing alone, the CDC believes is "not a magic bullet,” "And that is just the wrong mindset," said Lisa McGiffert of the Consumers Union.

Much more at the link above

IDSA urges Congress to support Hatch Infection Bill

Link: IDSA urges Congress to support Hatch amendments.

The Infectious Diseases Society of American is calling on members of Congress to support the Antibiotic Safety and Innovation amendment introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) to the Food Drug Administration (FDA) Revitalization Act. Without innovative public policy, the practice of medicine may return to the pre-antibiotic era when acquiring a bacterial infection was often a death sentence. The FDA Revitalization Act offers an important opportunity to avert the public health crisis that antimicrobial resistance is creating in hospitals and communities across the nation and at the same time to strengthen patient safety. The Hatch amendment will:     * expand incentives to spur the development of new, effective antibiotics     * spur research on new indications or uses for approved antibiotics     * require FDA to establish and reassess antimicrobial breakpoints so that physicians have the information necessary to use antibiotics wisely and in a way that will not put patients� safety or public health at greater risk

Gov't retires MRSA Czars

Link: SocietyGuardian.co.uk.

Britain's most high-powered job share came to an end yesterday when the government agency responsible for combatting the MRSA hospital superbug revealed it has parted company with the two women who headed it since 2001. Sue Osborn and Susan Williams, joint chief executives of the National Patient Safety Agency, were sent home on indefinite gardening leave in July, pending an inquiry into their managerial record.

President's US Budget Proposal Cuts Critical Infectious Diseases Programs To The Bone

Link: To The Bone.

        At a time when threats from pandemic influenza, antibiotic-resistant infections, and HIV/AIDS are growing, the budget proposal President Bush has submitted to Congress undermines the nation's ability to fight infectious diseases, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) told Congress today. In testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, IDSA President Martin J. Blaser, MD, said that while IDSA supports the president's proposal for $2.3 billion in emergency spending for pandemic influenza preparedness, the Society is deeply concerned about longer-term cuts to other parts of the budget. "Infectious diseases are the third leading cause of death among Americans," Dr. Blaser said. "Although the president's budget would help build a roof against pandemic influenza, it would weaken the foundation of our public health system at the same time."

Overworked staff a key MRSA indicator

Link: Propagation

     Morbidity and mortality due to nosocomial infection are on the increase. The effectiveness of infection control has become an important indicator of the quality of hospital work, as well as contributing towards cost reduction. The aim of this three-year prospective study was to investigate the daily workload of medical nurses to see if there was a correlation with the spread of infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a surgical intensive care unit (SICU) using a Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System (TISS). Although this SICU pays great attention to continuing education, the incidence of MRSA is still high. By means of the TISS, it was estimated that nurses in the SICU are overloaded by an average of 57%. Infections with MRSA occurred during periods when nurses were, on average, overloaded by more than 25%. During the study period, 47 new cases of MRSA infection were detected. These results suggest that adequate human resource management, particularly with respect to nursing care staff in SICUs, could contribute towards infection control.

What money is being spent by Govt to research MRSA

Link: (TheyWorkForYou.com).

The full answer (nothing on MRSA, low millions on Hospital infections), can be found at the link above

Chris Ruane (PPS (Rt Hon Peter Hain, Secretary of State), Northern Ireland Office) Hansard source To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total research budget for developing research into medicines and treatment for (a) MRSA and (b) other hospital acquired infections, in each of the past 10 years.