Infections caused by C diff and MRSA fall

Published on Wednesday 7 October 2009 21:31

INFECTIONS of elderly people caused by the Clostridium difficile hospital bug have fallen to a record low.

Cases of illness caused by the drug-resistant MRSA superbug have also fallen.

The decreases were welcomed by health secretary Nicola Sturgeon, but she also warned against complacency.

In yesterday's quarterly figures, there were 996 new cases of C diff in people over 65 between April and June, compared with 1,152 in the previous quarter.

There were also 311 cases in people under 65, but this was the first time statistics for this age group had been collected and officials said the figure should be treated with "caution".

The equivalent quarter of last year saw 1,732 cases of C diff in the over-65s.

Meanwhile, cases of MRSA fell from 171 in the first quarter to 145 in the second.

Ms Sturgeon said yesterday: "I have made tackling hospital infections a top priority and I am encouraged that today's figures show our strenuous efforts appear to be reaping rewards.

"We are confident that we now have the right initiatives in place and the figures back this up.

" We are seeing significant and sustained reductions in infections, which is good news for patients throughout Scotland.

"I want us to continue this excellent progress as we drive to eliminate all avoidable infections from our hospitals."