A potentially fatal type of MRSA affecting almost double the number of babies and children, as compared to previous years statistics, has raised concerns in medical circles.

The Health Protection Agency has shown that almost 150 children were down with a virulent form of blood infection, spurred by the super bug from NHS hospitals. 75% of the affected children were not even a year old; it is getting well known that such infections are on the rise due to bad hygiene in the hospitals.

Researcher and microbiologist Dr Alan Johnson said: "We have provisionally seen 147 cases of MRSA bacteraemia in children reported to us. This is very much an interim picture because we are still getting questionnaires from pediatricians and checking other sources of notification. It does look like the overwhelming majority were acquired in hospital."