December 14, 2003
The Guardian
SUPERBUG CARRIED BY PETS
The health protection agency confirmed the ‘Superbug’ MRSA is now officially carried by animals; this discovery was based on research findings off infected horses, cats, dogs and rabbits over the previous year.
Angela Kearns (HPA)
”We have observed MRSA in some domestic animals. These cases come from all throughout Britain. We need to do more research as to whether humans carry the bacteria to animals or the other way around”
British Veterinary spokesperson Dr Alistair Gibson
“We don’t want to see a massive panic scare that makes people get rid of their pets, we need more research in the field”
Tuesday March 23, 2004
The Guardian
Now more than 40% of Staph infections identified in British hospitals are Methicillin resistant, when it was less than 5% in 1990. This country was once at the forefront of "search and destroy" checks against MRSA infection, but now compares abysmally with other European countries such as Denmark and the Netherlands, where resistance rates are just 1%, Austria (11%) or Germany at (19%), although Greece, Italy and Portugal have comparable problems. Among children in hospital, as many as 13% of Staph infections may be resistant - not as high as among older patients, but the first evidence of an emerging problem in paediatric wards.
Dr Duckworth, the Health Protection Agency's expert in the field, says: "Levels are very high. For a country like ours, it is embarrassing - if not worse - to have rates that high. It puts us in leagues we would not want to be in, and should not be, given our history." She insists there are signs that the steep rises of the late 90s, which also saw reports of blood poisoning by MRSA leap 25-fold, appear to be levelling off. Voluntary, then mandatory, reporting systems in hospitals may have helped concentrate minds that were once diverted elsewhere
Sunday June 6, 2004
The Observer
An Observer investigation has learnt of paediatricians advising parents to take sick children home from hospital - rather than keeping them in overnight for observation - to reduce the risk of catching the bug. There is also evidence that some NHS doctors are now paying to have their own routine operations performed in private hospitals, where the risk of infection is reduced. Health officials are battling to reassure the public that the bug, full name methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, can be controlled.
Monday 15 December 2003
MRSA And Pets
The HPA observed some strains of MRSA in animals, which were similar to those, carried by people and others that weren't. Pet owners are advised to continue to take normal, sensible precautions after handling their animals. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water and keep cuts and abrasions clean and covered with a dressing
