MRSA Action UK: Red Alert as super-resistant bugs hit hospitals

Monday, 31 January 2011 12:00 AM

It comes as no surprise to MRSA Action UK that the NHS has been put on red alert following reports that 400 cases of infection by deadly superbugs involving NDM-1 and other Carbapenem-resistant organisms involving Klebsiella pneumonia and E.coli.

These occurred between 2003 and 2010. 43 cases involving NDM-1 were reported last year, the other 33 cases occurred since 2003. The North West has a particularly higher incidence of the Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumonia.

Governments have been slow to react to these developments of stronger resistant bacteria, and have done little to prevent further outbreaks despite warnings from groups such as ourselves and advice from bodies such as the National Audit Office, as far back as 2000.

Advice on recognition, control and treatment of Carbapenem resistance was issued last week. The Health Protection Agency is recommending all Trusts should prepare a containment action plan ensuring effective isolation facilities are provided. Awareness and training for all medical staff should take place.

MRSA Action UK has persistently through its press releases and in meetings with politicians of all political parties along with senior Department of Health officials, warned that the present screening system was in our opinion inadequate and that they had to step up their game or we would be overwhelmed in the future from threats far more dangerous than MRSA and C.diff.

Only as recently as October last year we warned that the bonfire of quangos to include the Health Protection Agency and National Patient Safety Agency could put surveillance, screening and diagnostics at risk and would, we believe, impact on avoidable infections. In the same month we voiced concerns that scientists were being silenced on this new threat from NDM-1, these concerns stemmed from a channel 4 programme reported by science correspondent Tom Clark. Dr David Livermore however, from the Health Protection Agency is reported as saying that it is critical to understand how modern medicine relies on antibiotics, and the ability to treat infections. We support wholeheartedly his comment, because he states further that if the efficacy of antibiotics is lost this will be a huge step backwards for modern medicine.

Carbapenems are amongst the group of antibiotics of last resort for medical professionals, the development of NDM-1 and its now more frequent effect on occurrences of Klebsiella pneumonia, and effect on the commonly occurring infection E.coli, should give us cause to fear the future. It is not that long ago that the eminent American molecular biologist and Nobel prize-winner, Joshua Ledberger once quoted "The greatest threat to mankind's dominance comes from the microbe." These are very chilling words and a reminder that health professionals, governments and people around the world have a constant battle against organisms invisible to the naked eye and potentially far more invincible than we could ever be.

Derek Butler
Chair
MRSA Action UK
mrsaactionuk.net
derek.butler@mrsaactionuk.net
07762 741114

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