Superbug hits 100 patients

More than 100 patients caught the superbug Clostridium difficile during stays at hospitals in Worcestershire between April and June this year, figures show.

A further 66 patients, being cared for at home or elsewhere, or who were already infected on admission, reveal "how prevalent" Cdiff is in the community, health officials say.

But they claim efforts to tackle the problem are succeeding. Infection rates at Kidderminster Hospital, Alexandra Hospital in Redditch and Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester have dropped to 28 in August and September – a drop of at least 50 per cent on last year's figures.

Consultant microbiologist Dr Anne Dyas warned that staff and hospital visitors cannot afford to be complacent and that Cdiff is "still a major health risk in the community as well as in hospitals".

Dr Dyas, director of infection prevention and control, said figures for this year "showed real progress in reducing cases of hospital-acquired infection".

Trust chief executive John Rostill said: "The figures for August and September of 11 and 17 were during a period when we admitted more than 17,000 patients for treatment.

"Infection prevention and control remain one of our top priorities."