Superbug deaths soar by a third in only a year
Pastor Dale Morgan
Superbug deaths soar by a third in only a year*
By LYNDSAY MOSS
HEALTH CORRESPONDENT
SCOTLAND - DEATHS caused by the hospital superbug MRSA have increased by
more than a third in only a year, The Scotsman can reveal.
In 2006, there were 51 deaths in which MRSA was recorded as the main
cause – up from 38 the previous year.
In total, 213 death certificates mentioned MRSA as either the underlying
cause or a contributory factor.
But the microbiologist Professor Hugh Pennington said the real extent of
deaths linked to the superbug could be ten times higher than the
official figure.
The latest figures on MRSA, from the General Register Office for
Scotland, come after The Scotsman revealed in October that deaths from
the Clostridium difficile bug had soared by more than 60 per cent last
year, leading to 164 deaths.
Campaigners last night called for greater efforts to combat
hospital-acquired infections and better recording of deaths involving MRSA.
Linda McCafferty, of the campaign group MRSA Action UK, said she feared
the actual number of deaths was even higher than that recorded.
"My mother, Nellie, had MRSA and it was not recorded on her death
certificate," she said.
"I think there are a lot more deaths and it is just not being recorded.
Doctors need to be making sure MRSA is recorded, whether it is the main
cause of death or a contributory factor."
She went on: "There are people who are scared to go into hospital
because of these bugs. It is something that people are really worried
about."
Prof Pennington, Scotland's leading microbiologist, said he suspected
there was "significant under-reporting" of MRSA. "The whole process of
death certification is basically flawed," he said. "I would not be
surprised if we did a proper study of all deaths in a hospital that we
would find the actual number involving MRSA was ten times higher.
"I would like to be proved wrong, but I think a tenfold estimate is a
good working hypothesis."
The Scottish Government is to introduce an MRSA screening programme for
patients going into hospital.
It has also announced a multi-million-pound fund to reduce infections in
hospitals.
Nicola Sturgeon, the health secretary, said: "It is concerning that
there has been a rise in reporting of deaths where MRSA was considered
to be the underlying cause of death. This should be seen in context,
however, and it is most unusual for MRSA infection to be an isolated
cause of death – a range of contributory illnesses are normally involved."
She said the Scottish Government took tackling hospital infections
"extremely seriously", which was why it had earmarked £39 million for
MRSA screening
and a further £15 million over the next three years to tackle hospital
infections.
HOSPITAL BUGS COST £183m
INFECTIONS such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile are estimated to cost
the NHS in Scotland at least £183 million every year.
A study this year found that almost one in ten patients in Scottish
hospitals is suffering from a healthcare-associated infection at any one
time.
This is a higher rate than the rest of the UK.
Cutting infections by 30 per cent could save the NHS £55 million a year
– enough to pay for an extra 8,000 patients to be treated.
The full article contains 540 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Last Updated: 14 December 2007 10:24 PM