Originally published February 15 2006
Spread of killer bug exposes problems in the structure and practices of British hospitals
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
In the UK, the Healthcare Commission has publicly criticized hospitals for not effectively controlling the spread of Clostridium difficile, a killer bug that claimed 934 patients last year.
The infection is found in the colon and can cause diarrhoea and the potentially deadly intestinal condition colitis.
C. difficile is of particular threat to vulnerable patients who may be on antibiotics, such as older people, recent surgical patients and the seriously-ill.
Despite concerns that lethal antibiotic-resistant strains are on the rise, 38 per cent of trusts do not have restrictions in place to prevent the inappropriate use of antibiotics, which would help to minimise the risk of outbreaks.
The Healthcare Commission (HC) described the revelations as "deeply worrying".
The HC and the Health Protection Agency (HPA), the survey's co-authors, called on the health service to do more to cut down the risks to C. difficile.
The HC discovered that many trusts do not monitor or report the infection properly.
Many did not inform the relevant monitoring body, such as the strategic health authority.
Less than half of trusts surveyed use the same recognised definition of an outbreak.
Marcia Fry, Head of Operational Development at the Healthcare Commission, said: "It is deeply worrying that a significant number of trusts are not managing to implement existing guidance on C. difficile.
"We recognise that these outbreaks are not easy to control, but trusts must do more to ensure that they have systems in place to protect patients from this potentially lethal infection."
Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer, has written to every trust to remind them of the urgent need to monitor and treat effectively the infection.
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