Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 624: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the steps being taken to ensure that MRSA, C difficile and other such bugs do not infect pupils while at school here, as has happened in the outbreaks of MRSA which has led to fatalities in schools in the USA in the past year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31358/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Tackling all Health Care Associated Infections (HCAIs) continues to be a priority for the Government and the Health Service Executive (HSE).

The HSE launched a National Infection Control Plan in March 2007. An Infection Control Steering Group is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the plan. Over the next 5 years the HSE aims to reduce HCAIs by 20%, MRSA infection by 30% and antibiotic consumption by 20%. Achievement of these targets will benefit all patients who are at risk. The Steering Group is supported by eight Local Implementation Teams which will ensure that all local facilities are focused on achieving the national targets.

There is little risk of transmitting MRSA to healthy people who are at low risk of becoming infected. The risk of MRSA transmission, to staff or other students in a school is low and can be greatly reduced with careful attention to hand hygiene and basic infection control practices.

Children in such settings are likely to be colonised/infected with other organisms that pose a greater potential threat to staff and students (e.g. influenza, norovirus, Group A Strep etc), for which routine screening is not required. Therefore, the availability of hand hygiene facilities (sinks and alcohol gels) and environmental cleaning regimens play an important role.

The HSE recommends that community institutions such as schools should have a policy to prevent transmission of micro organisms that emphasises the importance of standard precautions and good levels of personal hygiene by all. However, it goes without saying that if there is any concern about the clinical status of the child/resident, their general practitioner should be consulted for advice. It is important that children with MRSA are not stigmatised as they pose little risk to those with whom they come in contact.

The HSE have written to the Department of Education and Science advising it of the above. There is also a general booklet for schools on "Schools and Infection" which is available via the HSE. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre of the HSE provides a Fact Sheet "Recommendations for Care of Patients colonised with MRSA in Schools" on its website www.hpsc.ie.

C. difficile should not be an issue in schools, as schools do not have the antibiotic pressure and other risk factors present in hospitals and long term care facilities. If a school student were to have a C. difficile infection, the same standard advice would apply as for any other type of gastroenteritis (i.e. stay out of school until asymptomatic, and attention to basic hygiene measures such as hand washing). For someone being cared for at home with a C. difficile infection, there are specific recommendations included in the national C. difficile guidelines on www.hpsc.ie/Publications.