Hospitals are simply mystified by the super bug hounding them relentlessly. While patients battling diseases look to hospitals’ for healing, the hospitals themselves are quite ‘sick’ with the alien invasion. Of particular virulence among the family of super bugs is the Clostridium difficile, which networks with gusto among the NHS hospitals.
The bug that plugs almost 4000 lives annually is also known for its caprice and unpredictability. Some hospitals are a hot favorite, where it invades with six times the potency.Blame this on the hospitals. We all know that prevention is better than damage control. Poor hygiene in the hospitals is a breeding ground for these germs. Improper use of antibiotics has added fuel to this fire and the huge crowd swarming the hospitals, is like the wind aiding the spread of fire.
The bug seems to have an affinity for those with weakened immune systems-especially those aged 65 years and older. In England, patients over 65 were down with C. difficile in great numbers, 8% higher than the previous year. The smaller hospitals were in serious trouble with relatively higher rates of infection.
Among the hospitals worst affected by C. difficile, Kettering General Hospital in Northamptonshire with 6.78 cases per 1,000 bed days topped the heap. Three other hospitals also in bad light due to the infection were Hereford Hospital, University Hospital of North Staffordshire and University Hospital Leicester. Since 2001, deaths due to super bug have gone up three times, prompting David Nicholson, chief executive of NHS to take this issue on priority this year.
Source-Medindia
SAV/L
