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MRSA is an horrendous infection and is made worse by the fact that it is most commonly picked up in hospitals; an environment that is supposed to prevent those who are ill suffering from further infection. It means that if you are already ill, contracting the MRSA infection could mean the visit to hospital that was supposed to aid your recovery could end up with you being worse off. In worst case scenarios, people have gone into hospital for minor treatment, contracted the 'super bug' and have died as a result. This is most common amongst children and the elderly, who have weaker immune systems and are at much higher risk.
MRSA has been around since the 1960's, so it isn't a new infection although it has been given a lot more press coverage in recent years. However, it is believed that standards of cleanliness in hospitals are lower now than in the past, and that this is making the infection more prevalent. The people at most risk are the elderly and people who are already ill. This is because their immune systems are generally weaker, so their bodies are less able to fight off the added MRSA infection. People with open wounds are also at risk as this is one route that the infection uses to enter the body.
Once someone has contracted the infection, then urgent steps need to be taken by the hospital involved. The patient needs to be isolated and moved away from other patients. As the infection is extremely contagious, this needs to be done immediately. The site of the infection on the patient's body needs to be treated without delay. It needs to be washed and cleaned to prevent any infection spreading to other areas of the body. Everyone who comes into contact with the patient needs to ensure that they follow basic safety procedures, such as washing hands thoroughly, so as not to spread the infection. Obviously at any of these stages negligence, albeit unintentional, can cause the situation to worsen.
Despite improvements in hospital cleanliness, such as the introduction of alcohol based hand washes and stricter 'deep cleaning' procedures, it is believed that cases of MRSA are on the rise. This is contrary to the government's claims to have the infection contained and under control. It is thought that two thirds of hospitals in the UK are failing to meet the government targets to wipe the infection out. In around one in seven hospitals, cases of MRSA are on the increase. It is also thought that the actual number of MRSA cases is greater than official figures suggest because not all cases are being reported.
If you contract the MRSA virus you are fully within your rights to make a claim through a specialist claims company. Although the infection can be treated with antibiotics, there can still be lasting effects on the patient. If you decide to make a claim then you should approach a specialist solicitor who has experience in the field of medical negligence and specifically MRSA cases. They will be able to offer advice and guide you through the claim process smoothly and easily.
Everyone has heard of MRSA but what exactly is it? MRSA (sometimes referred to as a 'superbug') stands for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus and is a bacterium from the staphylococcus aureus family. About one in three people carry it on the surface of the skin or in the nose without developing an infection.
MRSA Symptoms
However, if it gets into the body through a break in the skin, it can then go on to cause an infection. In extreme cases, the bacteria can get into the bloodstream and cause more serious infections like septicaemia (blood poisoning) and heart valve infection (endocarditis). MRSA bacteria are resistant to some of the antibiotics that are commonly used to treat infection, including methicillin (a type of penicillin).
So far, experts have uncovered 17 different strains of MRSA, all with differing degrees of immunity to the effects of various antibiotics. Two particular strains, clones 15 and 16, are thought to be more transmissible than the others, and account for 96% of MRSA bloodstream infections in the UK.
So it's a common bacterium that, in a healthy patient, will cause a minor throat infection and probably little else. But if the body's immune system is weakened through other illness or as a result of medical treatment such as chemotherapy, then the bacteria can take hold and a body wide infection can spread quickly. Because MRSA is treatable through the use of antibiotics, the weaker strains of the bacterium die off relatively quickly. This leaves the stronger strains, such as clones 15 and 16, room to develop. Unfortunately, these more resilient strains are immune to the effects of the majority of antibiotics used as treatment against them and so can spread quickly.
MRSA thrives in unhygienic conditions and is passed on via physical contact. This can mean that the bacteria are passed on through contact with a patient suffering from an MRSA infection, via door handles and then on to previously uninfected patients. This is why hospitals now place such an emphasis on the use of antibacterial hand gels for staff and visitors. The Government is trying to improve overall standards of hygiene, with one of the most popular decisions being the reintroduction of ward matrons, with specific responsibility for cleanliness.
And that is the key word when talking about MRSA - cleanliness. If the standard of cleanliness in a ward is below par, it offers a breeding ground for a bacterium that is becoming increasingly resilient to man's attempts at control. But the cleanliness of a ward is the direct responsibility of a hospital, which has a duty of care to provide a safe environment in which to treat vulnerable patients. If that duty of care has been allowed to slip, then there may be a point when it becomes classified as medical negligence.
Talking to an experienced solicitor who has a detailed knowledge of medical negligence claims can help you to navigate a complex and difficult legal landscape. Medical negligence claims can be protracted and fraught with problems, so the expertise of a solicitor well versed in the complexities of the law is essential. By highlighting the issue through a medical negligence claim, it can also encourage the hospital to re-examine its hygiene routines, hopefully preventing someone else from becoming just another statistic in what is ultimately a preventable problem.