Superbug outbreak kills 23 in Britain

[sublime_serenity75]

A lethal new strain of the hospital bug Clostridium difficile has infected a second hospital in Britain, raising fears that it is spreading throughout the NHS.

The outbreak of C.difficile at the Royal Devon and Exeter Foundation NHS Trust infected 265 patients in the first five months of this year and has caused 23 deaths since January.

The number of patients stricken with the virulent infection, which causes severe diarrhoea, is running at twice the level in 2004, when 254 patients at the 850-bed hospital were infected over 12 months.

The new strain of the bug, which produces 20 times more toxin than the ordinary strain, was also the cause of an outbreak at Stoke Mandeville hospital in Buckinghamshire, revealed by The Independent. More than 300 patients have been infected and 12 have died at the hospital since the end of 2003.

-Source

[ForRizzle]

Well that does not sound very good at all.

[Blackleaf]

Well, mustn't grumble.

[_Nyx_]

Well, isn't that just peachy.....yeesh....how does this stuff just "get out" anyway?

[Hans Dolbrook]

what are its symptoms,and what causes it????????????

[__Kratos__]

O man... I think I have it!

Just messing around... I'm not a hypochondriac.

23 dead though... that sucks big time.

which causes severe diarrhoea

So... they die because of dehydration?

Edited June 22, 2005 by __Kratos__

[warden]

I seen this story a wee while ago ,then all of a suden nothing was said about it (didnt sound a good idea to let it out in the media when we have the MRSA bug floating about which labour promised to eradicate)

A doctor once said that we have a nation of people dependant on anti-biotics and eventually super bugs will be unstopable as we cant create an anti-biotic faster than bugs can mutate,i think we are getting close to his words,(dont tell the minister for health)he will say you are a torrie looking to stir up trouble ,tell that to the 23 dead.