U.K.: Superbugs Are Running Rampant In Old Age Homes

EXCLUSIVE 433 Seniors Killed By MRSA and 405 Killed By C-Diff Bug By Nick Owens LONDON, England (Sunday Mirror), February 10, 2008: They call themselves care homes... but new figures on deadly superbugs show the name is hardly deserved. The germs - linked to poor hygiene - are running rampant in homes for the elderly, with soaring numbers killed. Since 2001, 405 residents have died from C-Diff and 433 have been killed by MRSA. The superbug Staphlococus Aureus, a strain of MRSA, was implicated in 485 more deaths. Experts say the figures are just the tip of the iceberg because superbug deaths are not recorded properly. Campaigners say hundreds of pensioners are dying in care homes but it is not mentioned on their death certificates. Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lambs last night: "Care home residents are the forgotten victims of the rise in superbugs. Cases of MRSA and C-Diff have risen in the last few years, yet the Government has focused all its attention on hospitals. Care home residents are being moved in and out of hospitals taking superbugs with them." The figures fly in the face of Health Secretary Alan Johnson's boast that the war on superbugs is being won. Nursing homes are expected to follow the same infection control rules as hospitals - washing hands, keeping bed linen clean and ensuring food is prepared in hygienic conditions. But a recent report rated 723 care homes in England and Wales as "poor" in this area. Tony Field of MRSA Support said: "Hundreds of pensioners die each year in a care home from a superbug which is never recorded. The scale of the problem is unknown - that is a scandal." Director of Age Concern Gordon Lishman said: "Primary Care Trusts must work hard to ensure that action on C-Diff and MRSA is a priority across the board - in hospitals and care homes - so that the lives of older people are not put at risk." Former nurse Graziella Kontkowski of C-Diff Support added: "There needs to be an overhaul of education for home staff." Copyright MGN Ltd.