News Archives |
Volume 3 No 15; 17 April 2009
Clostridium difficile quarterly mandatory surveillance figures for October to December 2008
Latest reported Clostridium difficile figures from the HPA's Mandatory Surveillance Scheme show that between October and December 2008 there were 6,257 cases recorded in patients aged 65 years and over. This represents a fall of 11% in this age group from the previous quarter, July to September 2008, when the total was 7,062. This also represents a fall of 38% from the same quarter in 2007 when 10,012 cases were recorded in patients aged 65 years and over, between October and December.
C. difficile infections are an issue for the health economy at large and initiatives for reducing the incidence of C. difficile should extend beyond the acute Trust environment and encompass initiatives by a wider range of organisations (eg Primary Care Organisations [PCOs] and Strategic Health Authorities [SHAs]). Historically, the Agency has produced data based on the acute Trust at which patient specimens of C. difficile were processed. However, these data also show that more than 20% are from patients not attending the acute Trust at which their specimen was processed.
The Department of Health has established a national target for the reduction of C. difficile by 30% in the financial year 2010/11, as compared to baseline data collected in the financial year 2007/08. This target relates to SHAs and PCOs, as well as acute Trusts with minimum reductions being imposed across these organisations. In order to help SHAs and PCOs meet their targets, the HPA is now publishing, and will continue to publish on a quarterly basis, cases of C. difficile based on English PCOs. Commissioners of acute care PCOs have a responsibility for cases of C. difficile acquired in the community as well as in acute Trusts.
Robust infection control and appropriate use of antibiotics remain key to tackling infections such as C. difficile. Healthcare associated infections can arise as the result of the treatment of other life-threatening infections, and as such, can be difficult to avoid. The use of antibiotics in patients who are very sick can leave people susceptible to C. difficile infection.
Further information is available from following URL: www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1195733750761?p=1179745282408