Hospital Pharmacist
2008;15:35
February 2008

News summary

MRSA and C.diff rates are still falling

Reported cases of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections in England have fallen by 18 per cent since the middle of last year, according to the Health Protection Agency’s latest quarterly report.

The latest Clostridium difficile figures, published for the same period, show a 21 per cent decrease in reported cases in patients aged 65 years and over in England, and a 14 per cent decrease in those aged 2–64 years.

However, these figures should be interpreted with caution because the surveillance system is undergoing significant changes.