C.diff rates increasing

10:05am Monday 13th August 2007

INFECTION rates for a deadly bacterium at Whipps Cross University Hospital have leapt above the national average.

Data issued by the Health Protection Agency, which supports and advises health authorities, shows that Clostridium difficile (C.diff) infections are increasing faster at Whipps Cross than nationally.

The figures are for infections of patients aged 65 and over, and show the cases in England increasing by 25 per cent from 44,500 in 2004 to 55,600 in 2006. However for Whipps Cross, the 271 recorded infections grew over the same period to 403 - a rise of 48 per cent.

In 2004, there was a national average of 1.92 infections for every thousand days a pensioner stayed in a hospital bed. That figure rose to 2.39 by 2006.

Whipps Cross' average was within 0.01 of the national figure in 2004 and 2005, but in 2006 rose to 2.84.

The most recent available figures are for January to March 2007. The first quarter of the year is usually the annual peak for C.diff infections, and in England, the total has risen by 250 to 15,600.

Over the same period Whipps Cross has seen a much sharper rise, more than doubling from 61 to 132. However the impression is skewed by Whipps Cross' abnormally low first quarter total for 2006.

The Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals Trust, which runs King George Hospital in Goodmayes and Queen's in Romford, reduced its C.diff infection rate by a third between 2005 and 2006.

Nearby Homerton Hospital had just 12 C.diff cases among pensioners in the first quarter of 2007, compared with 74 last year.

For the same period, Newham University Hospital Trust saw a slight increase from 65 to 74.

The C.diff bacterium is present in the guts of three per cent of healthy adults and 66 per cent of children, but is normally kept in check by other bacteria in the intestines.

However it can cause severe sickness and diahorrea when antibiotics disturb the body's normal bacterial balance. The symptoms can be severe enough to kill when a patient is already weakened by another illness.

A SPOKESWOMAN for Whipps Cross University Hospital Trust pointed out that more recent figures show a significant downturn in C.diff cases.

While in April 52 patients were recorded as having C.diff, that figure halved in May, and has decreased to just 10 for July.

Director of Nursing and Governance, Shona Brown, said: "The progress we have made is now evident in our monthly figures. However, we will continue to monitor and re-evaluate our policies and procedures to ensure that we are following best practice and continue to drive down rates."

Hospital Infection Control Consultant, Dr Albert Mifsud said: "We still have a long way to go but we are definitely seeing a downward trend.

"The hospital has stringent policies and procedures in place to reduce the risk of C.diff being spread, such as enhancing cleaning in areas at risk, reminding staff, patients and visitors about the hand cleaning policies, and a constant revision of our antibiotics protocols.

"Weekly meetings are held to discuss the number of cases at the hospital and what can be done to further reduce the risk of infection. C.diff patient's progress is reviewed every week."