MRSA and VRE Information and Rates
Measuring Methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycinresistant Enterococci (VRE) rates.
Sioux Lookout Menoyawin Health Centre posts its infection rates online on a monthly (quarterly) basis. On this website you can find information about hospital acquired infection rates for MRSA and VRE.
What is MRSA?
It is a type of a bacteria that is resistant to certain or all types of the betalactam classes of antibiotics such as penicillins, penicillinaseresistant penicillins (e.g. Cloxacillin) and cephalosporins.
What is VRE?
Enterococci are bacteria that are normally present in the human intestines and in the female genital tract and are often found in the environment. These bacteria can sometimes cause infections. Vancomycin is an antibiotic that is often used to treat infections caused by enterococci .In some instances enterococci have become resistant to this drug and thus are called vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE).
What are the risk factors for MRSA?
Risk factors for MRSA acquisition include procedures, prior treatment with antibiotics, prolonged hospital stay, stay in intensive care of burn units, surgical wounds and close proximity to a colonized person. MRSA can also be transmitted from mother to child through breast milk.
What are risk factors for VRE?
Risk factors for VRE include underlying disease, presence of invasive devices, prior colonization with VRE, antibiotic use and length of hospital stay.
How are MRSA and VRE transmitted?
The single most important mode of transmission of MRSA and VRE in a health care setting is via transiently colonized hands of health care workers who acquire it from contact with colonized or infected patients, and or handling contaminated material and equipment. The unrecognized colonized presents a particular risk for transmission to other patients.
Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre strives to identify areas to improve patient safety. One such program is the Just Clean Your Hands Program, where all staff receive education on hand hygiene and its importance and the level of compliance for hand hygiene is monitored.
Cases at Meno Ya Win
| Jan 2009 | 0 | Feb 2009 | 0 | Mar 2009 | 0 |
| Apr 2009 | 0 | May 2009 | 0 | Jun 2009 | 0 |
| Jul 2009 | 0 | Aug 2009 | 0 | Sept 2009 | 0 |
| Oct 2009 | 0 | Nov 2009 | 0 | Dec 2009 | 0 |