Resistant to antibiotics Increasing numbers of MRSA cases

Significantly more patients infected with hospital germs
In hospitals, infections with dangerous multidrug-resistant germs are becoming more common. Saxony-Anhalt reports a significant increase in the number of cases. The hospital germ MRSA is resistant to antibiotics. An infection can therefore be fatal for some patients.

Infections can be deadly
In German hospitals more and more infections with dangerous multidrug-resistant germs occur. These pathogens called MRSA are responsible for the deaths of up to 15,000 people each year. The increase in drug resistance is partly attributed to the massive use of antibiotics in agriculture. The germs are particularly dangerous for older and weakened people as well as small children. Therefore, news reports from Wiesbaden, where nine babies have been infected with MRSA pathogens, are particularly dramatic.

Infections with multidrug-resistant hospital germs are becoming more common. (Image: freshidea / fotolia.com)

More MRSA cases reported
As the news agency dpa reports, the hospital germ MRSA was detected and reported in 198 patients in Saxony-Anhalt last year. According to data from the State Office for Consumer Protection in Magdeburg, it is clear that the number of cases has continued to rise. In 2011, there were only 164 MRSA cases in the country. At that time, 7 out of every 100,000 inhabitants were affected. Last year, there were 8.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

Used in clinics and nursing homes
Infection with antibiotic-resistant pathogens can be fatal. Health experts emphasize that there is an increased risk especially for people with a weakened immune system and for the elderly. An infection can cause various symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, pneumonia or blood poisoning. Especially in hospitals, rehabilitation facilities and nursing homes, the MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) are relatively widespread and at the same time a significant problem. Facilities operating on an outpatient basis must report the germ as soon as it is detected in a patient.

Resistant germs should be better controlled
Last year, the black-and-red government announced that it would be more efficient to fight resistant bacteria. Stricter reporting requirements, stricter surveillance and more targeted research are foreseen. A lot has happened in research in recent years anyway. For example, British scientists have found that a 1,000 year old Anglo-Saxon cure for MRSA germs has remarkable effects. And the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) has reported on a new remedy for dangerous hospital germs, which is supposed to kill the bacteria in a short time without promoting the development of resistance. (Ad)