Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 187: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of incidents of MRSA reported to date; the number of hospitals free from such infection; her plans to address the issue of hygiene in hospitals generally; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35423/06]

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 188: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the numbers of deaths from MRSA to date in 2006; her views on whether there should be an appointment of a person specifically charged with eradicating MRSA; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35439/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 187 and 188 together.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) collects data on MRSA bacteraemia (also known as bloodstream infection or "blood poisoning") as part of the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (EARSS). EARSS collects data on the first episode of blood stream infection per patient per quarter. The Irish data for EARSS, which is published on a quarterly basis by the HPSC, showed that there were 445 cases in 2002, 480 cases in 2003, 553 cases in 2004, 586 cases in 2005 and 285 reported cases in the first half of 2006.

It is difficult to identify the number of fatalities attributable to MRSA as many people also have significant co-morbidity factors.

This year, Ireland participated in the Hospital Infection Society's "Prevalence Survey of Health Care Associated Infections" (HCAIs) in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The survey provides accurate and comparable data on the prevalence of Health Care Associated Infections (including MRSA) in acute hospitals in Ireland and can also be compared with similar data being obtained in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Preliminary results of this study are now available. The overall prevalence of health-care associated infection in the UK and Ireland study (these figures exclude Scotland) is 7.9%. The England figure is 8.2%, Wales 6.3%, Northern Ireland 5.5% and the Republic of Ireland 4.9%.

As expected, the prevalence of health-care associated infection was highest in regional/tertiary hospitals at 6% and lowest in specialist hospitals at 2%. 10% of patients with a health-care associated infection in the Republic of Ireland were recorded as having an MRSA related health-care infection. This is lower than the UK average of 16%. While the overall prevalence is lower in Ireland than UK, further analysis needs to be done before the true implications of this survey become clear.

Measures to control the emergence and spread of HCAIs are necessary because there are fewer options available for the treatment of resistant infections and because these strains spread amongst vulnerable at-risk patients. The prudent use of antibiotics underpins any approach to the control of antibiotic resistant bacteria, including MRSA. This, together with good professional practice and routine infection control precautions, such as hand hygiene, constitute the major measures in controlling and preventing healthcare-associated infection, including that caused by MRSA, both in hospital and in community health care units.

A Strategy for the control of Antimicrobial Resistance in Ireland (SARI) was launched in 2001 and includes recommendations such as hospital hygiene practise, appropriate antibiotic prescribing, active surveillance for the detection of MRSA and corporate/clinical governance structures in the area of infection control. At present, active recruitment is ongoing within the HSE nationally to employ essential infection control staff such as infection control nurses, hospital liaison pharmacists, surveillance scientists and clinical microbiologists. The HSE are shortly to publish a three year Action Plan which will set targets in this important area.