MRSA bloodstream infections continue to fall

18 December 2008

Quarterly figures for July to September 2008 published by Health Protection Agency

The Health Protection Agency has today published its latest quarterly report on MRSA (meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ) bloodstream infections.

The latest figures from the Agency's mandatory surveillance of MRSA bloodstream infections show that there were 725 cases reported in England during the July to September quarter of 2008. This represents a 13% decrease on the previous quarter (April to June 2008) when 837 reports were received and a 33% reduction in the corresponding quarter of 2007 (July to September) when 1,082 reports were received.

Professor Mike Catchpole, Director of the Agency's Centre for Infections, said:

"This continued reduction in cases of MRSA is testament to the huge efforts being made across the NHS to tackle the problem of healthcare associated infections, which remain a big challenge throughout the world.

"To ensure this downward trend continues we cannot be complacent. We must all play our part - the public and healthcare workers - by ensuring the infection control measures that have made the current fight against MRSA so successful remain in place."

Ends

Notes to Editors:

The Health Protection Agency publishes mandatory surveillance data in a quarterly format. The next set of quarterly data for MRSA bloodstream infections (October to December 2008) will be published on March 19 2009. 

MRSA bloodstream infection figures - a summary of cases reported under mandatory surveillance in England

Quarter	Number of MRSA bloodstream infection reports
April 2006 – June 2006	1,742
July 2006 – September 2006	1,651
October 2006 – December 2006	1,543
January 2007 – March 2007	1,447
April 2007 – June 2007	1,306
July – September 2007	1,082
October – December 2007	1,091
January 2008 – March 2008	969
April 2008 – June 2008	837
July 2008 – September 2008	725

 

NB: Data are collected at Trust level and are not published by the Health Protection Agency for individual hospitals within a Trust.

Reports of MRSA bloodstream infections for individual Trusts are available at
http://www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&Page&HPAwebAutoListName/Page/1191942126522?p=1191942126522

Quarterly figures for C. difficile infections (July to September 2008) will be published on January 15 2009.   

For further information on this press release please contact the Health Protection Agency's Centre for Infections press office on:

David Daley  020 8327 6647
Kate Swan  020 8327 7097
Alexandra Baker  020 8327 7098
Louise Brown 020 8327 7080

Last reviewed: 17 December 2008