Summary
Quebec Health Minster Philippe Couillard says that the province’s hospitals are doing their best to control MRSA, an infection that is resistant to most antibiotics, and can be deadly to people with damaged immune systems. Five thousand cases were reported in 2004, resulting in an unspecified number of deaths. Couillard told reporters that improved infection-control procedures had kept the “superbug” from getting out of control, and that studies to improve the system would continue.
Original source:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1111439896452_106849096/?hub=CTVNewsAt11
Details
Quebec's health minister denies that a virulent, drug-resistant 'superbug' is spreading out of control in hospitals throughout his province.
However, at least 5,000 people were infected with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MSRA) in 2004, Health Minister Philippe Couillard told reporters on Monday.
"Since January of 2003 levels of infection have stayed stable," he said.
"We must note that the same efforts we are making for C. difficile will also bear fruit for this bacteria."
Couillard credited that effort with stemming the impact of the highly infectious bacterium.
Dr. Charles Frenette, a Montreal infectious diseases specialist, agreed those measures had an impact.
However, "it's still a lot and there's still a lot of infection control measures we can do to limit its spread," he said.
Last year, Quebec introduced new infection-control protocols after a virulent strain of Clostridium difficile was blamed for 109 deaths in hospitals in Montreal and Sherbrooke, Que.
Another 108 fatalities were indirectly linked to the strain.
On Sunday, a report from French-language public broadcaster Radio Canada showed that 5,000 people were infected with MRSA last year.
Although the report said several patients had died from the infection, it did not specify how many.
Typically contracted by hospitalized patients with weakened immune systems, MRSA can cause pneumonia, blood poisoning and urinary tract infections.
Pointing to experience with the bacterium in other countries, Couillard said
Quebec has gotten off relatively lightly.
"But what is that going to cost and what are you willing to give up?"
However, some doctors say it's time for the medical community to debate that question, because
superbugs are getting harder to fight.
In MRSA's case, only a few antibiotics still work, and no one knows how long that will last.
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Monday, March 28, 2005
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