Drop in MRSA cases, but new strains on horizon

Third quarter figures for last year show 21.3 per cent of overall blood stream infections cases were due to resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and a 59 per cent drop in actual cases of MRSA reported, was observed. The prevalence of MRSA has dropped in recent years. There was a decrease of 59 per cent in reported cases of MRSA from 2006 to 2012. Provisional data for the first three quarters of 2013 indicates that the reduced rates are holding. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) collates information from hospitals on healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistant organisms such as MRSA. Information…