Latest Hospital Superbug Infects 44,000 Patients

TENS of thousands of patients have been infected with a new superbug that is plaguing hospitals.

There were more than 44,000 cases of Clostridium ( C) dif f ic i le affecting patients last year, according to the first official figures.

Twelve people died after the bug infected 300 patients at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire during an outbreak of a virulent strain identified earlier this year.

The bug, which is resistant to many antibiotics, causes severe diarrhoea and affects the elderly worst. Unions today said hospitals must improve cleaning to shake off England’s image as the superbug capital of Europe.

In the data released today by the Department of Health, North West London Hospitals NHS Trust was third worst in the UK with 502 cases last year. For every 1,000 days spent in hospital by patients over 65, 3.6 were due to the bug. Other London hospitals were ranked: . St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust in Tooting had 457 cases, 2.97 bed days per 1,000.

. Lewisham Hospitals NHS Trust with 307 cases, 2.88 bed days.

. Ealing Hospital NHS Trust with 218 cases, 2.74 bed days.

. King’s College Hospital NHS Trust with 348 cases, 2.46 bed days.

In London, the Homerton came out best with 59 cases, 0.82 bed days.

Cases of the infection rose from about 1,000 in the early Nineties to more than 20,000 by 2000. Most infections occur in hospitals and nursing homes, but can also be diagnosed in primary care.

It is passed through poor personal hygiene from patient to patient or via healthcare staff.

Data on the glycopeptide resistant enterococcire (GRE) bacterium, first detected in the UK in 1986, have also been included in the figures.

GRE, which infects wounds and can cause blood poisoning, is hard to treat because of the limited number of drugs it responds to.

A total of 620 cases were reported for the year to September 2004. King’s College Hospital had 55 cases – the highest of any trust. Hammersmith Hospitals reported 30 cases, Barts and the London had 27 and St Mary’s 25.

Several hospitals in London escaped patient infections.

Chief Nursing Officer Christine Beasley said: “We have seen a rise in cases of C difficile over the past decade, some of which is due to better reporting, but much of which is due to the increased number of patients with serious underlying illness who need antibiotics.”

According to the Office for National Statistics, in 2003 there were 1,748 mentions of C difficile on death certificates. Of these, 934 noted the infection as the underlying cause of death.

Unison today called on hospitals to rid wards of superbugs.

Karen Jennings, head of health, said: “The way to wipe out superbugs is to have cleaner hospitals.

Contracting out has led to a drastic cut in the number of cleaners.

It’s time to put that right.”

. Thousands of operations are being cancelled at the last minute each month, official figures show.

More than 15,000 operations were halted in the three months to June – up by 1,000 on the same period last year.