Hospitals on alert for new bug strain
Tuesday 26th May 2009, 10:41AM BST.
Shropshire hospitals are on alert for a rare and deadly strain of the MRSA superbug.
More than 40 patients have tested positive in hospitals across Birmingham and the Black Country for Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL).
Although PVL infections can be treated successfully with antibiotics, the bug can kill within 48 hours.
There have been previous outbreaks of this particular infection across the West Midlands region, with 33 cases between 2004 to early 2007 that claimed two lives.
MRSA normally affects more elderly patients but the PVL strain can affect young and otherwise healthy people.
However, the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford’s Princess Royal appear well prepared to deal with any sign of the bug in Shropshire.
Adrian Osborne, spokesman for the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, said today that medics have known about PVL for “many years” and the trust routinely looked at all samples for possible infection or any signs of PVL.
A report to the trust board this Thursday shows that it is continuing to win the fight against superbugs.
It aims to have no more than 20 MRSA cases this year and during April there was one – in a patient with a fractured hip.
There were also just six cases of Clostridium difficile (C diff) recorded – two at Shrewsbury, four at Telford.
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