Source: the Gazette, April 7,2011, A.Derfell
«Hospital across Quebec are battling steady increases in a number of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria». The latest Health Department reports reveals a sharp increase in the outbreaks of vancomycin-resistant Enterrococcus (ERV, a bacteria causing severe bloodstream infections and pneumonia. The number of confirmed cases of VRE jumped from 834 in 2006 to 1,154 in 2009.
The Quebec Ministry of Health set up in place a surveillance system to track the number of hospital-acquired infections such as C.difficile, SARM,and ERV. According to the most recent statistics, the average rate of C.difficile has dropped to 4,3% over the last 3 years. However, if C.difficile rates have dropped constantly in a number of hospitals, others still have regular high levels. C.difficile is a bacteria very difficult to prevent and control
The battle against hospital-acquired infections requires strict and permanent prevention and control measures for all hospitals as wel as strong staff participation, top-down from the hospital directors to the front-line staff. Even though hospitals are confronted with an increase of older patients or more sicker patients, they still may achieve lower infection rates : according to most infectious diseases specialist associations, up to 75% of all these healthcare- infections could be prevented and even more for some of them. A group of american professionnal in infection control «propose a call to action to move toward the elimination of healthcare-associated infections.. Elimination will require the implementation of evidence-based practices, the alignment of financial incentives, the closing of knowledge gaps, and the acquisition of information to assess progress and enable response to emerging threats. These effort must be underpinned by substancial research investments, the development of novel prevention tools, improved organizational and personal accountabilities, strong collaboration among a broad coalition of public and private stakeholders and a clear national will to succeed in this arena»
Hospitals across Quebec are battling steady increases in a number of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria». The latest Health Department reports reveals a sharp increase in outbreaks of vancomycin-resistant Enterrococcus (ERV, a bacteria causing severe bloodstream infections and pneumonia. The number of confirmed cases of VRE jumped from 834 in 2006 to 1,154 in 2009.
The latest stats on C. difficile and VRE were obtained in a five-year action plan to prevent and control hospital-acquired infections that was posted on the Health Department's website.
http://www.apic.org/Content/NavigationMenu/GovernmentAdvocacy/RegulatoryIssues/CDC/AJIC_Elimin.pdfJointly, the Association for Professionals in Infection
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