Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 389: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of patients at a hospital (details supplied) in Dublin 4 who have contracted Clostridium difficile each year during the past five years to date in 2008; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23267/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The number of patients who had Clostridium difficile while a patient in the hospital referred to by the Deputy during the past 2 years was 272 in 2007 and 84 ( Jan — May) in 2008. Data for the previous 3 years is not yet available but I have requested the HSE to forward same to the Deputy as soon as it becomes available.

Care must be taken when interpreting these global figures as account must be taken of size of hospital, case mix and age profile of patient. In addition, in order to make meaningful comparisons of C.difficile rates between hospitals, denominator data must be available so that rates can be expressed per patient admissions or patient days in hospitals.

C. difficile was not , up to now, a notifiable disease and, as a result it was difficult to quantify the extent of infection in the health care system. In March 2008, the Chief Medical Officer of my Department instructed the HSE to make C. difficile a notifiable disease and since May 4 all cases are required to be notified to the relevant Department of Public Health. The number of cases reported to date is within the range identified in the Third Prevalence Survey of Health Care Associated Infections in acute hospitals in 2006, 0.5% of patients studied.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) published Guidelines for the Surveillance, Management and Control of C. difficile-associated disease on 22nd May last by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre. They give national guidance and deal with the isolation of C. difficile ribotype 027 for the first time in Irish hospitals. They will be a valuable resource in assisting in the prevention, management and control of this infectious disease. The HSE is considering the report at present to decide on its implementation and I have asked to be kept informed of progress on this matter.