Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 729: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her proposals in regard to hospital acquired infections; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1532/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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A Strategy for the control of antimicrobial Resistance in Ireland (SARI) was launched in 2001 and includes recommendations such as hospital hygiene practice, appropriate antibiotic prescribing, active surveillance for the detection of MRSA and corporate/clinical governance structure in the area of infection control. The appointment of the SARI infection control nurses, surveillance scientists and antibiotic pharmacists who are due to be recruited in 2007 will provide the extra staffing required to commence a national surveillance programme. Once these staff are in place, national surveillance of health care associated infections (HCAIs) will commence, in line with SARI recommendations and international best practice.

The HSE has appointed Dr. Kevin Kelleher, Assistant National Director of Health Protection, as the lead person nationally, for MRSA in the HSE. He is supported by senior representatives of the NHO, PCCC and Risk Management as well as senior clinicians.

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 measure in controlling and preventing healthcare-associated infection, including that caused by MRSA, both in hospital and in community health care units. While many HCAIs are not preventable, we can make every effort to reduce the rates of infection and to treat them promptly when they occur.

Hospital cleanliness, while not always an immediate hazard to patients, is part of an overall picture whereby multi-resistant infections are acquired in our hospitals. To date, two National Hygiene Audits have been carried out in acute hospitals under the auspices of the National Hospitals Office. The Irish Health Services Accreditation Board (IHSAB) is due to carry out a third Hygiene audit this year.

Last year, Ireland participated in the Hospital Infections Society's "Prevalence Survey of Health Care Associated Infections" in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The survey, which included 45 Irish acute adult hospitals, including 8 private hospitals, provides accurate and comparable data on the prevalence of Health Care Associated Infections (including MRSA) 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%. The prevalence of health care associated infection was highest in regional/tertiary hospitals at 6% and lowest in specialist hospitals at 2%. There is no room for complacency and the HSE must continue to work with hospitals to control HCAIs.