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Figures released by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) have shown a recent fall in MRSA cases of 11%, but a 6% increase in the incidences of Clostridium difficile (C difficile) infections.
Between January and March this year, a total of 966 cases of MRSA were reported, representing an 11% drop on the previous quarter, the HPA said. Meanwhile, there were 10,586 cases of C difficile in patients aged 65 and over – a 6% rise on the previous quarter.
Annual figures showed a decline for both infections, with a 30% drop in MRSA in the financial year 2007/08 compared with 2006/07. C difficile figures, which are collected on a calendar-year basis, showed 50,392 cases between January and December 2007 – a 9% drop on figures for January to December 2006, when 55,635 cases were reported.
The C difficile figures for January to March this year showed a 32% reduction compared with the same quarter of 2007 (15,644 cases). There were “early indications” that C difficile infections were falling, the HPA’s report said, although it added that changes to reporting systems meant more time was needed to see if falling numbers heralded the same type of downturn seen for MRSA.
Copyright PA Business 2008
See also:
Progress stalls in superbug battle
Friday 25th April 2008
