Second superbug outbreak kills thirteen
Pastor Dale Morgan
Second superbug outbreak kills thirteen*
By Martin Beckford
Last Updated: 11:38am BST 05/04/2007
UK - Thirteen patients suffering from the superbug Clostridium difficile
have died at another Norfolk hospital.
It was revealed last week that an outbreak of the bug has killed 17
people at the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston, near Great Yarmouth,
since December.
Now the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in King’s Lynn, just 65 miles
away, has said that 13 of its patients who had C.difficile have died
since the start of the year.
The bug, which causes severe diarrhoea, was directly responsible for
eight of the deaths and was a contributing factor for the other five.
But the hospital stressed that most of the patients who died, the
majority of whom were over 65, already had C.difficile when they were
admitted.
It pointed out that the deaths at the QEH were not caused by the
particularly virulent 027 strain of the bug which struck at the James
Paget Hospital.
Ruth May, chief executive of the QEH, said: "We clearly take our patient
care and duties very, very seriously. More needs to be done, but we take
our care seriously in terms of infection control.
"We have already had a 25 per cent drop in cases from last year and we
are working hard to reduce hospital infections at the QEH."
The hospital is now employing staff to clean wards around the clock to
prevent the spread of bacteria, and has changed the antibiotics it uses
to tackle the disease.
But Michael Summers, chairman of the Patients Association, said:
"Patients in this area will be greatly concerned that another virulent
strain of C.diff has resulted in these deaths.
"There seems to be a lack of clear direction in how to tackle the
problem. This includes screening of patients who are suspected of
carrying superbugs."