Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.publicservantscotland.co.uk/news_story.asp?id=12036
C.diff needs 'extraordinary resources'
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Scotland must invest in "extraordinary resources" to combat the spread of clostridium difficile (C.diff) across its hospitals, a leading international infection control expert has warned.
Canadian Dr Mark Millar will tell a conference on Hospital Acquired Infection, organised by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, that enhanced infection control measures are required.
His comments come after a preliminary public inquiry hearing into 18 deaths at the Vale of Leven hospital following an outbreak of the superbug in December 2007.
Miller, who is from the Jewish General Hospital and McGill University in Montreal, will advise delegates on lessons learnt from the C.diff epidemics that took hold of Canada in 2002.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland had already put "extraordinary resources" into tackling C.diff.
In Scotland, C.diff has overtaken MRSA as the leading cause of hospital-acquired infection deaths. The General Register Office for Scotland reported the number of C.diff related deaths in Scotland rose from 116 in 2000 to 765 in 2008.
Miller said: "The story of C.difficile infection in Canada is a tragic one. The introduction of a virulent infection into a healthcare system replete with high-risk patients and inadequate infection prevention and control strategies led to lethal epidemics.
"Extraordinary resources were required in each instance to control the epidemics and it is likely that similar interventions will be required in Scotland. Perhaps the most important message to convey is that C.difficile epidemics can be controlled quickly by the vigorous application of wide-ranging infection prevention and control strategies."
The health secretary said an extensive range of new initiatives had been introduced and the Scottish strategy had already been influenced by international cases. She also stressed that the battle against C.diff may lead to the emergence of new antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
Sturgeon said: "Too many people believe antibiotics can cure all ills. And too many people expect to get one every time they visit their GP. We all must understand that only prudent prescribing can halt the rise in resistant infections and ensure that when we really need antibiotics that they remain effective."
C.diff needs 'extraordinary resources'
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Scotland must invest in "extraordinary resources" to combat the spread of clostridium difficile (C.diff) across its hospitals, a leading international infection control expert has warned.
Canadian Dr Mark Millar will tell a conference on Hospital Acquired Infection, organised by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, that enhanced infection control measures are required.
His comments come after a preliminary public inquiry hearing into 18 deaths at the Vale of Leven hospital following an outbreak of the superbug in December 2007.
Miller, who is from the Jewish General Hospital and McGill University in Montreal, will advise delegates on lessons learnt from the C.diff epidemics that took hold of Canada in 2002.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland had already put "extraordinary resources" into tackling C.diff.
In Scotland, C.diff has overtaken MRSA as the leading cause of hospital-acquired infection deaths. The General Register Office for Scotland reported the number of C.diff related deaths in Scotland rose from 116 in 2000 to 765 in 2008.
Miller said: "The story of C.difficile infection in Canada is a tragic one. The introduction of a virulent infection into a healthcare system replete with high-risk patients and inadequate infection prevention and control strategies led to lethal epidemics.
"Extraordinary resources were required in each instance to control the epidemics and it is likely that similar interventions will be required in Scotland. Perhaps the most important message to convey is that C.difficile epidemics can be controlled quickly by the vigorous application of wide-ranging infection prevention and control strategies."
The health secretary said an extensive range of new initiatives had been introduced and the Scottish strategy had already been influenced by international cases. She also stressed that the battle against C.diff may lead to the emergence of new antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
Sturgeon said: "Too many people believe antibiotics can cure all ills. And too many people expect to get one every time they visit their GP. We all must understand that only prudent prescribing can halt the rise in resistant infections and ensure that when we really need antibiotics that they remain effective."