In the news
Daily Mail - Scientists unravel superbug that kills in 24 hours 19th Jan 07
Scientists have unlocked the secrets of a deadly superbug that attacks healthy young people and can kill within 24 hours. The news is a vital first step in attempts to find a cure for the virulent disease, PVL-MRSA, that is highly resistant to current antibiotic treatments...
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Telegraph - MRSA could kill healthy youngsters 19th Jan 07
Britain is vulnerable to the spread of a new strain of MRSA that can infect a healthy young person and rapidly kill them with a lung-eating pneumonia, an expert has warned
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Telegraph - NHS blunders kill 200 a year 19th Jan 07
Health crisis catalogue of fatal NHS errors revealed as scientists warn of a frightening new superbug that can kill its victims within days
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Daily Mail - Plumbing beats penicillin 18th Jan 07
We live in an age of mind-boggling medical advance. But the most significant health breakthrough of all took place 150 years ago, according to a poll of doctors and the public
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Daily Mail - Bristish scientists find 'superbug cure' 16th Jan 07
Scientists say they have found three drugs which kill the MRSA superbug - after developing them on a computer. New research firm e-Therapeutics claimed the treatment even works on strains of the bug which have defeated the best existing drugs
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Daily Mail - MRSA - Its even worse than you think 15th Jan 07
There are 14 times more cases than the NHS admits. Deaths are up by at least 22 per cent. And simple solutions are being ignored by health chiefs. No wonder Labour’s trying to spin its way out of trouble
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Daily Mail - Matrons to take charge of cleaning in MRSA wars 15th Jan 07
Hospital matrons are to have more control over the cleaning of their wards in the latest plan to tackle the spread of superbugs. Since 1983, hospitals have been allowed to contract out their cleaning services
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The Sunday Times - Comment: Gillian Bowditch: Faith in the NHS is a mistake 14th Jan 07
Perhaps I am unduly jaundiced, but last week’s call by an Edinburgh-based professor for more “faith-based” NHS services had me praying for strength. Coming in the week when it was revealed that the government’s targets for reducing MRSA infections will not be met
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Telegraph - £2.5m lesson in how to wash your hands 13th Jan 07
In the same week Britain decided to resume space exploration, the Scottish Executive has decided to spend £2.5 million on telling people how to wash their hands.
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The Times - Flesh eating bug killed leading economist 12th Jan 07
The member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, died at the age of 43 while doctors could only watch the disease spread
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The Independant - Pledge to halve MRSA cases 'is not achievable' 11th Jan 07
By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor A government pledge to halve infections caused by the superbug MRSA may never be fulfilled, a leaked memo has revealed. The internal memo from the Department of Health, sent to ministers by Liz Woodeson,
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The Times - Leaked memo reveals that targets to beat MRSA will not be met 11th Jan 07
Second killer infection is now 'endemic' inside NHS hospitals and target to halve infections by 2008 will be missed, the Government admitted secretly
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The Times - Nurse who had just given birth was first victim of new MRSA 20th Dec 06
Health experts believe that Maribel Espada picked up the Panton-Valentine leukocidin bug while working at the hospital
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The Times - More cases at MRSA hospital 19th Dec 06
The hospital where two people died from a new strain of MRSA has been named as The University Hospital of North Staffordshire
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The Times - Doctors told to cast off ties 17th Dec 06
Consultants face disciplinary action for wearing ties as NHS managers claim they could spread MRSA
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Daily Mail - You can't beat soap and water 14th March 05
For ridding hands of viruses, nothing beats old fashioned soap and water, scientists say.
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Daily Mail - MRSA 'out of control and getting stronger' 20th June 06
The MRSA superbug has evolved into 'fitter' strains which could prove even more resistant to treatment, a leading scientist warned on Tuesday, with the emergence of stronger and more virulent strains proving potentially 'explosive'
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Daily Mail - MRSA deaths double over four years 24th Feb 05
The number of deaths in which the superbug MRSA was a factor has doubled in four years, according to a new report. The shocking rise in cases involving the superbug rose from 487 in 1999 to 955 in 2003
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Dail Mail - Everyday objects could spread MRSA 13th Sept 05
Pens, patient notes and even computer keyboards could be helping the spread of the MRSA superbug, an expert has warned. Patients in intensive care are most at risk from hospital-acquired infections, which kill at least 5,000 people a year in the UK
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Dail Mail - Flesh-eating risk NRSA superbug date
The superbug MRSA can turn into a condition that destroys skin and muscle and can lead to lost limbs or death, researchers have revealed. The flesh-eating killer has not been detected in hospitals but experts warn that an 'alarming' number of cases have been found
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Daily Mail - Superbug cases rise in 40pc of hospitals 23rd June 05
The MRSA crisis for hospitals is worsening despite the efforts of Ministers and health bosses. Almost four out of 10 NHS trusts in England have seen cases of the superbug rise in the last year, new figures have revealed
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Daily Mail - MRSA 'kills 10,000 14th Sept 04
The true number of patients killed by the hospital superbug MRSA is double the official figure, campaigners claim. They say statistics which show 5,000 deaths a year from the infection are a decade out of date. It is thought that a third of all infections could be prevented through basic hygiene standards, such as nurses washing their hands
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Daily Mail - The Superbug surge 4th Sept 02
The number of deadly superbugs lurking in NHS hospitals will hit an alltime high this year, amid growing concern about filthy wards and sloppy hygiene procedures.
The threat posed by the Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) bacteria is almost 50 per cent greater than previously feared, official figures reveal.
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Daily Mail - Injured soldier contracts superbug in British hospital 31st Dec 06
A soldier who was shot in the neck in Afghanistan is recovering after contracting MRSA in a British hospital
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Daily Mail - Three new MRSA cases at hospital 19th Dec 06
Three more cases of a new strain of MRSA have been identified at a hospital where two people have already died from the "superbug."
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Daily Mail - How to reduce your risk of catching MRSA 21st Sept 06
MRSA is a super bacteria that can cause serious infections which are resistant to antibiotic treatments. Click here for ways you can reduce your risk of catching the superbug while at hospital
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MRSA cases in young Children double in a year 10th Sept 06
The number of babies and children infected with a potentially fatal form of MRSA has doubled in a year, government research has revealed. The figures, from the Health Protection Agency, show that nearly 150 children suffered potentially deadly blood infections
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Daily Mail - Hospital superbug deaths soar 10th Sept 06
The Number of deaths linked to the MRSA superbug has soared by almost a quarter in one year despite a massive drive to clean up hospitals
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The Independent - Read this Noticeboards save hospital lives 11th Jan 07
A hospital has cut its death rate dramatically by posting notices in wards reminding staff of basic safety measures. The rate at Luton and Dunstable Hospital in Bedfordshire plummeted 16 per cent in two years, after doctors and nurses were warned to wash their hands between patients, check drugs before dispensing them and mark patients correctly for surgery.
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Telegraph - Thousands of hospital staff fail to wash their hands correctly 26th Nov 06
Thousands of doctors and nurses are ignoring warnings about the spread of MRSA in hospitals and failing to wash their hands before treating patients. A study has discovered that 88 per cent of hospital staff are not following government orders to wash their hands before and after contact with patients.
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Telegraph - MRSA: They were warned last year and did nothing

8th March 06
Britain's most senior doctor warned five months ago that emergency legislation was needed to enforce hygiene standards in hospitals to prevent them "killing and harming" patients with the MRSA superbug. But the Government failed to act.
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The Times - Hospitals on alert for fast strain of MRSA that kills young and healthy
18th Dec 06
A healthy hospital worker died after contracting a deadly new strain of MRSA that had never before been reported as a cause of death in hospitals
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The Times - Deaths caused by hospital infections rising sharply 23rd Feb 07
Deaths from hospital infections are still rising sharply, according to the latest figures from National Statistics.
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The Times - MRSA deaths rise sharply, latest figures show 22nd Feb 07
Data recording how often MRSA or Clostridium difficile are mentioned on death certificates show a dramatic rise between 2004 and 2005 - up by 39 per cent for MRSA and 69 per cent for C diff.
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Daily Mail-Superbug closes hospital wards 31st Jan 07
A superbug outbreak has triggered the closure of two hospital wards. Seven patients at The Kent and Sussex Hospital in Tunbridge Wells have got Clostridium difficile, which causes severe diarrhoea and inflammation of the bowel
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Daily Mail - Leslie Ash sues hospital for £1m over superbug 30th Jan 07
Men Behaving Badly star Leslie Ash will never work as an actress again because of debilitating injuries inflicted by a hospital superbug. Three years later she is still suffering from the effects of the disease, which has left her unable to walk unaided
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The Telegraph - Death toil from superbugs is soaring 23rd Feb 07
Deaths linked to hospital superbugs have increased dramatically, according to figures published yesterday
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The Telegraph - Sharp rise in superbug death toll 22nd Feb 07
More patients are dying of conditions linked to the hospital superbugs MRSA and Clostridium difficile (C-diff), it was revealed today
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