Healthcare EstablishmentHygiene The return of the bugs?
Cases of MRSA and C.difficile have been declining in UK hospitals for some years, but new cases have recently emerged in unexpected quar- ters. Should we be worried? StephenWright from Tork manufacturer SCA finds out, and also considers the steps that hospitals can take to reduce the risk of superbug infections.
Towards the end of the last millennium the hospital superbug MRSA was never out of the news. The 21st century then heralded a number of outbreaks of C.difficile which posed a new threat to patients. In 2009 it was the turn of swine flu to terrify us all with the prospect of a global pandemic. Luckily, swine flu was much less virulent than anticipated. The past few years have been reassur-
ingly free of health scares, however, and we may even have become a little complacent as a result. Recent reports have actually revealed a sharp increase in rates of C.diffi- cile in Scotland. According to Health Pro- tection Scotland, there was a 35% rise in cases of the superbug among patients aged 15 to 65 between July and September 2013. The corresponding increase for pa- tients aged 65 and over was 19% north of the border compared with the previous three months. Meanwhile, three new cases of MRSA
have been reported at the University Hospi- tal of North Staffordshire - an institution
point. So, is this the start of the re-emer- gence of superbugs? Health chiefs are claiming that outbreak
levels of bothMRSA and C.difficle are cur- rently relatively stable [1]. But the new cases remind us to be on our guard since killer bugs are waiting in the wings and can emerge - or re-emerge - at any time. World Health Organisation guidelines de-
fine five keymoments in which hand hy- giene is considered to be essential for the protection of healthcare workers and their patients. The ‘fivemoments for hand hy- giene’ are: before touching the patient; be- fore performing any clean/aseptic procedure on a patient; after any risk of ex- posure to the patient’s bodily fluids; after touching the patient; and after coming into contact with the patient’s immediate sur- roundings. The NHS offers practical advice to help
that had previously been completely clear of the infection for some time. Hospital staff were perplexed by the cases since a new infection control policy had been suc- cessful in keeping the bugs at bay until that
hospital patients, staff and visitors avoid contracting and spreadingMRSA [2] and C.difficle [3]. Patients can reduce their risk ofMRSA infection by washing their hands or using a hand wipe after using the toilet and before and after eating ameal, for ex- ample. Visitors can reduce the chance of spread-
ing an infection or virus by avoiding sitting on the patient's bed and by remembering to
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