British hospitals 'among worst for superbugs'

British hospitals are among the worst in Europe for superbugs, according to figures published yesterday.


Britain was found to be the fifth worst country for superbug resistance


In a league table of 29 countries only Portugal, Malta, Cyprus and Romania have higher proportions of potentially deadly antibiotic-resistant hospital-acquired infections.

Only some forms of superbugs are resistant to antibiotics - including those known as MRSA. They are part of the staphylococcus aureus family of bacteria that can live on the skin or in the nose and can cause a range of illnesses and symptoms from boils and abscesses to life-threatening diseases such as meningitis and septicaemia.

By Bruno Waterfield and Nic Fleming

The bacteria become dangerous to patients once they enter the bloodstream and those that are resistant to antibiotics pose the greatest threat.

The European Union's Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) report on communicable diseases ranked countries based on the proportion of S aureus infections found to be antibiotic-resistant.

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With an MRSA rate of 44 per cent, Britain was found to be the fifth worst for superbug resistance, behind countries including Greece, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic.

The ECDC study compiled data showing the trend in superbug antibiotic resistance in recent years for each country.

The amount of MRSA as a proportion of all staphylococcus aureus infections in British hospitals was unchanged between 2002 and 2005.

In contrast it fell in other countries including Slovenia, Greece and in France.

Doctors fear the spread of resistance to antibiotics could lead to problems in treating other illnesses such as pneumonia.

The ECDC says the spread of hospital-acquired infections is now the main disease threat in Europe, despite continuing concerns over tuberculosis and HIV.

The report states: "If the present rapid negative development is not halted, mankind will soon lose one of its most important weapons against infectious diseases.

"The most important threat in Europe is posed by micro-organisms that have become resistant to antibiotics."

Figures released by the Office of National Statistics in February showed the number of death certificates in England and Wales that mentioned MRSA rose 39 per cent to 1,629 between 2004 and 2005.

This is widely seen as an underestimate because other causes are often listed when MRSA could have contributed to or been the primary cause deaths. Health officials privately concede they are unlikely to hit the Government target of halving the number of MRSA cases by April.

Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, said: "With 7,000 nursing posts and 9,000 beds lost in the last year, it is little wonder that we are amongst the worst countries in Europe for rates of MRSA infections."

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "The report does not show that the UK has one of the worst infection rates in Europe.

"The table only refers to the proportion of staphylococcus aureus blood stream infections that are caused by MRSA.

"Available information indicates that the prevalence of hospital-acquired infections in the UK is similar to those of other European countries and the United States."