Posted on 04/05/2007 2:09:56 PM PDT by blam
Second superbug outbreak kills thirteen
By Martin Beckford
Last Updated: 11:38am BST 05/04/2007
Thirteen patients suffering from the superbug Clostridium difficile have died at another Norfolk hospital.
It was revealed last week that an outbreak of the bug has killed 17 people at the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston, near Great Yarmouth, since December.
Now the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in King’s Lynn, just 65 miles away, has said that 13 of its patients who had C.difficile have died since the start of the year.
The bug, which causes severe diarrhoea, was directly responsible for eight of the deaths and was a contributing factor for the other five.
But the hospital stressed that most of the patients who died, the majority of whom were over 65, already had C.difficile when they were admitted.
It pointed out that the deaths at the QEH were not caused by the particularly virulent 027 strain of the bug which struck at the James Paget Hospital.
Ruth May, chief executive of the QEH, said: "We clearly take our patient care and duties very, very seriously. More needs to be done, but we take our care seriously in terms of infection control.
"We have already had a 25 per cent drop in cases from last year and we are working hard to reduce hospital infections at the QEH."
The hospital is now employing staff to clean wards around the clock to prevent the spread of bacteria, and has changed the antibiotics it uses to tackle the disease.
But Michael Summers, chairman of the Patients Association, said: "Patients in this area will be greatly concerned that another virulent strain of C.diff has resulted in these deaths.
"There seems to be a lack of clear direction in how to tackle the problem. This includes screening of patients who are suspected of carrying superbugs."
That’s an interesting wrinkle. Keep the sick people out of the hospitals???
This would NEVER have happened in a hospital run under the auspices of the government, you know.
Oh, wait....
Sure, but was it a mutation of the 027 strain meaning it's getting more deadly?
ping
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.