Superbug hits S'pore hospital

Superbug hits S'pore hospital

All non-emergency surgery has been canceled at Singapore's top
hospital, where 15 patients have been hit by a drug-resistant
strain of bacteria, but the public was urged on Saturday not to
become alarmed.

Singapore General Hospital (SGH) said it is testing another
933 patients who may have come into contact with vancomycin-
resistant enterococci (VRE). It does not cause disease in healthy
people.

"We are taking aggressive steps to ensure that the VRE does
not become entrenched in this hospital" and for that matter in
other institutions, said Professor Tay Boon Keng, chairman of the
medical board.

The cancellation of elective surgery starting on Monday and
announced on late Friday will allow the hospital "greater
maneuverability" should it need to isolate more patients, he
said.

VRE is a threat to people with weak immune systems such as
those suffering from cancer or kidney failure, said Dr. Asok
Kumar, an internal medicine consultant. It can be fatal in such
cases.

The stools of all patients at the facility are being screened
for the bacteria commonly found in the gastrointestinal tract.
Of the 15 carriers found at SGH, only one has been infected, a
diabetic who has had a leg amputated.

Vancomycin is a powerful antibiotic that doctors often regard
as a last-resort drug to eliminate bacterial infections.

The 15 have been found since March 9, Tay said. Some patients
who have left the hospital will need to be tested for the
bacteria, which is spread through direct contact with an infected
person, usually by the hands or an open wound.

The identities of the people carrying the bug will be
circulated to all hospitals and nursing homes in case they are
admitted elsewhere.

SGH will bear the cost of treatment for those who have caught
VRE at the hospital, which ranges between S$200 (US$123) to $800
a day.

Signs have been put up along the hospital's corridors
reminding patients, visitors and staff to wash their hands.
Visitors have been restricted to two per patient.

VRE was first reported in the United States in the late 1980s
and has become a major cause of hospital-acquired infections in
the U.S.

The 15 hit here comprise the largest cluster of VRE ever
identified in the city-state. The previous high was six cases
last year, also at SGH.

Patients who have the bacteria may be infectious for several
months. -- DPA