40-YEAR OF MRSA

Superbug MRSA has been threatening the lives of patients in UK hospitals for many years. Here are some facts about the bacterium.

:: Hospital infections, including MRSA, are said to kill around 5,000 UK patients each year. The MRSA Support Group maintains that the true figure is closer to 20,000.

:: MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is difficult to treat because of its resistance to antibiotics.

:: It first appeared in the 1960s and new strains emerged in the 1980s that have caused outbreaks of infection in hospitals throughout the world.

:: MRSA most commonly attacks patients who have undergone operations and can be fatal if it triggers blood poisoning.

:: There were 3,517 reports of blood-stream infections from MRSA in acute NHS trusts between October 2005 and March 2006.

:: The rise in MRSA infections over the last 20 years is due to a number of factors including the emergence of more virulent strains in the 1990s.

:: MRSA is most commonly spread via hands and equipment, and sometimes through the environment.

:: Some people carry MRSA in the nose and occasionally on the skin without it causing harm to themselves or others.

:: The spread of infection can be greatly reduced by simple measures such as doctors and nurses washing their hands in between treating patients.

:: Former health secretary John Reid set a target in November 2004 to cut MRSA cases by half - from an annual rate of 7,684 cases to 3,842 by 2008.

:: A leaked memo last week said the NHS was off course for meeting the target by 27% and blamed 116 underperforming trusts for the bad forecast.