MRSA falls as C-diff rises

Health bodies have welcomed a six per cent fall in the number of cases of the hospital ‘superbug’ MRSA but have called for more action to target the 22 per cent rise in cases of Clostridium difficile (C-diff).

Figures released by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) today revealed that cases of MRSA blood stream infection fell by 6.4 per cent from January to March this year.

Dr Georgia Duckworth, head of the HPA’s healthcare associated infection and antimicrobial resistance department, said some hospitals had made “great strides” in reducing MRSA by targeting risk areas and procedures.

However, C-diff cases rose by two per cent from the same quarter as last year, and by 22 per cent from the last quarter of 2006 ? nearly 16,000 cases were reported in patients aged over 65 in England compared to 12,797 cases reported in October to December 2006.

The HPA said the increase of C-diff cases is likely to be due to the higher number of vulnerable people admitted to hospital during this time of year.

Welcoming the fall in MRSA infections, health minister Ann Keen said: “The hard work of NHS staff has been vital in reducing MRSA infections. We now need to redouble our efforts to tackle C-diff and continue this progress.”

A government-commissioned review of sanitation procedures by the Healthcare Commission (HC), also released today, outlines a number of steps that healthcare trusts can take to reduce infection rates.