Hospitals explain about hygiene against resistant germs

In order to better protect themselves from multidrug-resistant germs, almost all hospitals in North Rhine-Westphalia participate in an information campaign in which information and hygiene are in the foreground.

Multidrug-resistant pathogens can hardly be combated with antibiotics
"We can not eliminate pathogens, but better protect them," said Jochen Brink, President of the Hospital Society of North Rhine-Westphalia, on Tuesday in Düs- seldorf to the news agency "dpa". Nationwide, 353 hospitals participate in the campaign, which targets physicians, patients and visitors. According to Brink, "multidrug-resistant pathogens are a global problem that the medical care system in Germany can not ignore".

With more and more pathogens certain antibiotics are no longer effective because they have become resistant to the means. Experts attribute the increasing antibiotic resistance above all to the sometimes unrestrained use of antibiotics in factory farming. But even doctors who prescribe antibiotics recklessly for colds and other diseases that are mostly caused by viruses, are in the criticism. Because antibiotics can only fight bacteria. For viruses, they are powerless.

Multidrug-resistant germs are dangerous in hospitals, especially for immunocompromised patients. Healthy people usually do not know that they carry the germs. Not infrequently visitors or patients with intact immune systems drag the pathogens into the clinics and unintentionally infect their fellow patients. Therefore, simple hygiene measures, such as hand washing and disinfecting, are an integral part of prevention. (Ag)

Image: Sebastian Karkus