Superbug now puts Aussie public hospitals on alert


A deadly hospital superbug, responsible for shutting down wards and operating theatres throughout Britain, has alarmed Australian health authorities. NSW hospitals are testing different strategies to combat MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), a virulent form of golden staph. However, a NSW Health spokeswoman said that the strategies had not had long-term success. "Globally, health-care-associated MRSA continues to be a problem," she said. "MRSA places a significant microbiological, financial and human burden on health systems and recipients of health care." The spokeswoman said the health department's most recent figures showed that, between January and June last year, 399 cases of MRSA were reported in NSW. "These cases demonstrate that people who receive in-patient care in a hospital have some risk," she said.

About 7000 Australians die from hospital bugs, including MRSA, each year and 160,000 Australians are struck down with infections. The rate of antibiotic-resistant infections is also increasing. The first case of MRSA in Australia was recorded in 1977. In Britain, it is estimated 5000 people die from MRSA-related problems each year, while the number of MRSA cases has increased by 600 per cent in the past decade. Britain's new chief nursing officer has identified the superbug as a top priority as infection rates continue to climb.

The NSW Health spokeswoman said: "Information such as that from the UK provides a unique opportunity for Australian health professionals to re-examine their current MRSA prevention strategies. "Global hospital-associated infection trends are often early indicators of situations that may subsequently arise in NSW."...

MRSA can also cause serious problems when people have weakened immune systems. Also, patients who undergo surgery are three times more likely to pick up MRSA along with people who have been admitted to hospital many times and received care from many different health-care workers. MRSA victims may suffer from boils, abscesses, septic wounds, heart-valve problems, toxic shock syndrome and death.

The strategies adopted by NSW Health to fight MRSA include educating staff about the importance of washing their hands and designing hospital rooms to reduce the chance of the superbug being transmitted. ["DUH"!]

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For greatest efficiency, lowest cost and maximum choice, ALL hospitals and health insurance schemes should be privately owned and run -- with government-paid vouchers for the very poor and minimal regulation.

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