Originally published July 7 2005
British hospitals in hot water over hospital-acquired infections
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
British Members of Parliament are reportedly furious with the "fog of ignorance" around hospital-acquired illnesses, and Reuters reports the allegations stem from the fact that there are no laws mandating hospitals to report such infections.
A "fog of ignorance" surrounds the problem of hospital-acquired infections like the deadly MRSA superbug, MPs said on Thursday.
The influential Public Accounts Committee (PAC) accused the government of not doing enough and said there was a worrying lack of data.
In a report, it said the best available estimates suggested that each year there are at least 300,000 cases of hospital acquired infection -- affecting 9 percent of patients, causing around 5,000 deaths and costing the National health Service as much as one billion pounds.
"Four years after we asked the government to insist on mandatory reporting of all hospital-acquired infections, we still don't have it," said Edward Leigh, PAC chairman in the last parliament.
He told BBC Radio the precise figure was unknown because the government had not forced hospitals to count all infections.
"If we don't know what is going on, how can we get a grip on this problem?"
The PAC found basic procedures such as washing hands and cleaning wards properly were not being followed.
New data from the Department of Health showed MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) bloodstream infections in hospitals fell 6.1 percent in 2004/2005.
MRSA is resistant to drugs and can cause skin infections, sepsis and toxic shock.
Health Minster Jane Kennedy said the drop in MRSA infections was "encouraging", that basic hygiene had been improved and that Department of Health advice was being followed.
"But even the cleanest hospitals will still see some of these deadly infections," she told the BBC.
Kennedy said the figure of 7,212 cases of MRSA was the lowest level since mandatory reporting of infections began in 2001-2002.
Despite the overall drop, 68 out of 173 NHS Trusts reported a rise in MRSA infections.
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