Pat's Note: They are right, the statistics are highly misleading in
the direction of understating the problem.

C.Diff is only recorded on patients over 65. Many infected are younger
than that. 

MRSA suffers from similar distortions. Canadians are complaining about
exactly the same problems. They are openly calling them cover-ups and
are harassing their politicians fiercely on the issue.

The problem is far bigger than admitted in Britain and there is no
clear evidence that things are improving. For C.Diff they are
acknowledged as getting worse in the UK.

However, there are signs that finally the point is sinking in that
deep cleans however desirable are not the answer and that screening on
entry to hospital is the answer.

They could have done what the Dutch did four years ago and put
screening of pig and pork workers at the head of the queue. Dutch
hospitals have few of the problems despite their pigs having PMWS and
MRSA.

It would have saved many lives and released huge sums for using
elsewhere in the NHS.

The Conservatives seem to be very tentatively grasping the point, but
seem to fail to realise that they are missing an open goal.

Defra's refusal to test the pigs and later to release any results  is
inexplicable and unexploited by the Opposition.

Why? Have they something to hide too?

http://www.epolitix.com/latestnews/article-detail/newsarticle/tories-attack-ministers-over-superbugs/

Tories attack ministers over superbugs

Tuesday 22nd July 2008 at 12:12 AM  

The government has defended its record on tackling hospital superbugs
after the Conservatives described the deep clean programme as a
"flawed gimmick". 

Shadow health minister Stephen O'Brien said on Tuesday that there were
4,500 cases of MRSA in 2007/08.

Pointing out that this was nearly 600 more than the level needed "for
the government to meet its target to halve MRSA rates by last March",
he said that C.difficile cases increased by six per cent compared to
the previous quarter.

"Will the secretary of state accept that the deep clean programme was
a flawed gimmick by the prime minister desperate for a headline?"
O'Brien said.

He called on the government to "stop pandering to populism about
hospital cleanliness and listen to the evidence about washing hands,
screening and bed occupancy rates".

Responding, health secretary Alan Johnson spoke of a "real real
success story" in tackling hospital infections.

He told MPs he did not understand how the Conservatives could
criticise the current figures, which show a 33 per cent reduction in
MRSA and a 32 per cent reduction in C.diff. 

Johnson said that rates of C.diff were always up against the previous
quarter "because we're taking the winter period when more older people
go into hospital".

"I would have thought he would have been celebrating the latest
statistics," the secretary of state said.
 
He said that "no-one on these benches or anyone in the health service"
had stopped telling professionals to wash their hands, responsibly
prescribe antibiotics and ensure that anybody showing the symptoms of
MRSA is isolated.

"On the issue of screening, we announced that we will pre-screen
everyone in elective surgery and everyone in emergency surgery over
this comprehensive spending review period," he added.

-- 
Regards
Pat Gardiner
Release the results of testing British pigs for MRSA and C.Diff now!
www.go-self-sufficient.com