Clostridium Difficile

Recently released figures on the spread of C Diff in hospitals suggest that cases of this deadly infection are on the increase. Such findings will concern Health Boards given the years of advice to patients, staff and visitors to hospital wards on keeping good personal hygiene and cleanliness.

The rise, reported by Health Protection Scotland, is unexpected. For some time the incidence of Clostridium difficile has been in relative decline, as has that of another hospital acquired infection, MRSA.

The most recent quarterly period for which information is available depicts an alarming rise, with levels in the under-65 age bracket up by an alarming 35 per cent. Public health clinicians are not certain why this is, but have suggested a number of possible contributory factors, including the inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics and poor infection-control management.

For the layman, however, the suspicion must remain that people have let down their guard and are not being sufficiently meticulous in their cleanliness regime, whether those people be medical personnel, hospital cleaning staff or visitors to hospital wards who find it difficult to understand the words ‘now wash your hands’.

This is problematic because the issue cannot be isolated. Out of Scotland’s 14 health boards, ten have seen cases increase. In NHS Highland the rate more than doubled.

This will be a concern for everyone connected with the health service in Scotland. Hospitals are meant to be places that make you well and fit again, not give you potentially life-threatening infections.

It is incumbent upon administrators, clinicians and government ministers to work together in formulating a plan that will ensure the current trend is not a reversal of good progress and advances made in recent years.