Epidemiological data

Surveillance of Clostridium difficile is undertaken by the HPA via voluntary and mandatory surveillance systems.

The voluntary surveillance of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has been undertaken in England and Wales since 1990 as part of a national system to monitor a range of infectious diseases. Since 2001, laboratories in Northern Ireland have also been reporting data on a voluntary basis.

Since January 2004, the HPA has been managing, on behalf of the Department of Health, the mandatory surveillance of CDI in England. Initially, this surveillance was limited to cases in patients aged 65 years and over. Since April 2007, all NHS Trusts in England have been required to report cases of CDI in patients aged 2 years and over.

Epidemiological data for these systems are available at:

• Mandatory Surveillance
• Voluntary Surveillance