Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

I second the motion and support the many valid points made by my colleague, Senator Browne. There is no doubt MRSA is reaching proportions of a modern epidemic and is a widespread problem in hospitals throughout the country. It is a pitiful and pathetically sad day when many patients are forced to worry about what infection they will contract during their stay in hospital in addition to the reason behind their hospitalisation in the first place, a point made on the other side of the House just last week. It is an even greater injustice that many people in our hospitals contract MRSA and are not informed about it immediately. The situation in our hospitals is dire, with people exposed to this infection on a widespread basis. This issue needs to be urgently addressed.

The level of the problem of MRSA in Ireland is vast and with 285 recorded cases of MRSA hospital-acquired blood infections during the first half of 2006, the problem is clearly not abating. The situation is particularly stark when compared to other European countries. The European antimicrobial resistance surveillance system, EARSS, is one of the most reliable sources of information on the subject and monitors levels of MRSA in a number of countries across Europe on an annual basis.

A recent report on MRSA examined trends in 30 European countries between 1999 and 2005 and found that Ireland has one of the highest rates of MRSA in Europe, with levels consistently reaching more than 40% during the period. In contrast, countries such as Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, the Netherlands, Denmark and Finland reported proportions below 3% during the same timeframe. If it is possible for some of our European counterparts to keep proportions of MRSA below 3%, it is outrageous that we are faced with a crisis MRSA situation with levels more than ten times greater than this figure.

Not only are some countries capable of maintaining very low levels of MRSA infections, EARSS has also highlighted that France and Slovenia have shown a consistent decrease in MRSA levels in the past five to six years, and levels in Slovenia have dropped from 21% in 1999 to 10% in 2005. These trends support the conclusion that MRSA is not an irreversible development and may be dealt with effectively by focusing on control efforts.

The Health Research Board recently announced it has awarded a €1.5 million grant to help tackle health care infections such as MRSA, to which reference was made by Senator Browne. The research will examine a number of areas such as enhanced cleaning processes, the clinical usefulness of the rapid detection of MRSA and more intensive efforts to improve hand hygiene. It appears ridiculous to invest time and money in researching the need to improve hygiene and cleaning practices when it is evident that investment would be far better placed in actually implementing strategies in hospitals to bring the situation under control. Surely it would be a better idea to focus efforts elsewhere and examine the practices adopted by countries maintaining low levels of MRSA infections or those countries which have actively brought levels of infection under control in the past five years.

The HSE recently announced it was appointing 52 additional infection control staff. How many of these have been appointed and what kind of impact are they having on the system? We need urgent action to rid hospitals of MRSA, not promises of additional staff. The HSE must adopt an urgent and effective strategy, based on best practice in other European countries, to deal with the MRSA situation.

There is a worrying indication that the high level of MRSA infections in Ireland may be linked to the over-prescribing of antibiotics. Two recent cases of MRSA emerged as a result of a reduced effectiveness of antibiotics. While our overall level of prescription of antibiotics is close to the European average, there are significant regional, seasonal and socioeconomic variations in the prescription of antibiotics. It is thought this contributes to a resistance to MRSA infection. We need to address this urgently and bring about a change in prescription practice to reduce the overall use of antibiotics.

It is clear that a multifaceted approach is urgently required to address the MRSA issue. Not only do we need rapid action from the HSE to bring about a real and effective change in hospital hygiene practices, we need to inform and train those coming into contact with MRSA patients on how to deal with the situation appropriately. We must also tackle the high levels of antibiotic prescribing in the community.

It is unacceptable that patients do not receive an adequate response from the health service in tackling this issue. The HSE must account for its inadequate approach to this crisis and provide patients with some reassurance that the current situation will not continue.

The health system's use of contract cleaners rather than employees who know their job and responsibilities and who are accountable to a manager within the hospital is another contributory factor to the spread of MRSA. When we learn of the personal circumstances of families whose loved ones have died as a result of an MRSA infection, we realise this major problem, which affects so many people, needs urgent action. We must rid our hospitals of this scourge. I look forward to the Minister's response.