MRSA Hospitals
New strain puts the spotlight back on MRSA
New research has revealed that a much more dangerous strain of the antibiotic-resistant infection MRSA is much more of a threat than previously thought. Community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) is apparently spreading throughout medical centres and hospitals in the US at an alarming rate – and specialists are concerned that it would be easy for the strain to make the jump across the Atlantic, thanks to the ever-growing trade in air travel.
The research collated data from over 300 microbiology labs from all over the USA, making it one of the biggest studies of the infection. The results showed that between 1999 and 2006 there had been a seven-fold increase in the number of cases of CA-MRSA amongst outpatients.
Whilst the United States has yet to reach the almost-epidemic proportions of MRSA incidences in hospitals as was the case in the UK for some time, the research gives British experts a model from which they can predict how the infection could mutate and spread if left unchecked over here. Already, concerns are that MRSA is developing resistance to the few remaining antibiotics used to treat it, and that the continuing trend amongst GPs to prescribe antibiotics for mild infections is compounding the problem by taking away patients natural ability to fight infection.
The subject of superbugs has been very ‘swings and roundabouts’ over the last few months. Repeated news reports state how well some hospitals are doing to combat the spread of infection, while others are lambasted for their failure to contain the disease through poor hygiene and cleaning and a lack of preventative care. It is this that is the superbug’s greatest ally, not just the proliferation of antibiotics as a cure-all for every minor ailment. By sending out mixed signals, the NHS is actually leaving itself wide open to claims for medical negligence or sub-standard treatment, because of the confusion.
Medical negligence requires two areas of clarification before a claim can be made, and one of those is that the treatment must have been below what would be expected from equally qualified primary care workers under similar circumstances. If these primary care workers, faced with mounting numbers of patients and continuing cuts in resources and front line staff, are then presented with confusing and often contradictory information, how can they be expected to give their patients the care they require?
Although individual cases do highlight the shortcomings of some medical staff, many claims experts believe that it is the system that is at fault, rather than just particular individuals. MRSA and other superbugs are not going to stay static and meekly submit to harsher cleaning regimes and stronger antibiotics. As with all natural life forms, they will evolve and change to maximise their chances of survival. The NHS must do the same, but in a cohesive manner that gives everyone a chance of surviving superbug infection. It must not come down to some sort of postcode lottery, where your chances of catching a superbug in hospital depend on how much of a cleaning budget the hospital has that year. Superbugs are not going to go away any time soon, and if the research carried out by American scientists is indicative of the overall development of the bug across the world, it is a fight that is set to continue for the foreseeable future.
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