MRSA and C. difficile continue to fall

3 December 2009

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has today published a quarterly epidemiological commentary on trends of MRSA (meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) bloodstream infections and C. difficile (Clostridium difficile) infections from July 2007 to September 2009.

MRSA bloodstream infections

The latest figures on MRSA bloodstream infections show a continued decline.

Overall there has been a 57% decrease in the number of episodes reported during the surveillance period in England, from 1,083 cases in Q3/2007 (July to September) to 465 cases  during the same time period in 2009.  Among trust-apportioned episodes - patients presumed to have been infected while admitted to the trust - there has been a 63% decrease since Q3/2007, from 648 episodes to 237 episodes in the same period in 2009. In comparison with the previous quarter (Q2 - April to June 2009) there has been a 6% decrease, from 252 episodes.

The number of all other episodes has decreased 48% from 435 episodes in Q3/2007 to 228 episodes in Q3/2009. There has also been a 12% decrease since the previous quarter (Q2/2009), when 259 episodes were reported. For the most recent two quarters of data (Q2 and Q3/2009), cases apportioned to acute trusts now account for approximately 50% of all episodes.

Counts of trust-apportioned and all other episodes of MRSA bacteraemia, July-September, 2007 (Q3/2007) to July-September, 2009 (Q3/2009)

Clostridium difficile infections

The incidence of trust-apportioned and all other episodes of Clostridium difficile infection have decreased between Q3/2007 (July to September) and the same period in 2009.

Between Q3/2007 and Q3/2009, there has been a 61% decrease in the counts of trust-apportioned episodes and a 40% decrease in the number of all other episodes. 

July to September 2009 is the first quarter in which the number of episodes apportioned to acute trusts (3,100) is lower than all other episodes (3,323). This means 48% of the C. difficile cases reported to the agency were positive specimens detected three or more days after patient admission to the reporting acute trust, indicating that the infections were likely to have been acquired during that hospital admission.

Recording cases as trust and non-trust apportioned helps to provide a clearer picture of where infections are likely to have been acquired. Comprehensive infection control requires initiatives by a range of non-acute trust facilities, across the whole health economy, including district general hospitals, nursing establishments and residential homes.

Counts of trust-apportioned and all other episodes of CDI, July-September, 2007 (Q3/2007) to July-September, 2009 (Q3/2009)

Dr Christine McCartney, Executive Director for the HPA's Healthcare Associated Infection and Anti-Microbial Resistance Programme, said:

"Infection control must remain a priority if we are to continue seeing the impressive reductions in the numbers of these infections. 

"We cannot afford to become complacent. The Health Protection Agency remains vigilant, using its surveillance expertise and diagnostic and microbiology services to provide expert advice to the NHS and other healthcare settings at a national and local level."

Ends

Notes for editors
For further information on healthcare associated infections and to view the agency's latest mandatory surveillance reports visit the website below: http://www.hpa.org.uk/HPA/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/1191942126522/

To download a copy of the agency's Annual Healthcare Associated Infections Report please visit the website http://www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1252326221795?p=1249920576124 

Change to mandatory surveillance publication format
The HPA has been working to provide MRSA bloodstream and C. difficile infection counts in a more timely fashion, with the aim of benefiting those concerned with infection control and performance management from the Trust level to the Department of Health.

As of November 2009 the Health Protection Agency changed the way it publishes MRSA and C. difficile data, publishing monthly data on the first Wednesday of each month.

HPA has published the first new format epidemiological commentary on the trends in healthcare-associated infection mandatory reports.  These commentaries include age and sex profiles of patients with the infections, the patterns of disease across various hospital demographics such as patient provenance and treatment specialties.

To view the latest quarterly commentary on epidemiology visit:
http://www.hpa.org.uk/HPA/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/1191942126522/

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

Georgina Fletcher 020 8327 6690
David Daley  020 8327 6647
Alexandra Baker  020 8327 7098
Louise Brown  020 8327 7080
Eleanor Bunch 020 8327 7751
Kate Swan  020 8327 7097

Last reviewed: 3 December 2009