HC Deb 14 October 2002 vol 390 cc520-1W
Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MRSA incidents have been(a) voluntarily and (b) mandatorily reported in each NHS region since 1996 (i) in total and (ii) as a ratio to the population in that region. [72149]

Ms Blears

[holding answer 23 July 2002]We are unable to supply these data as information on incidents which are defined as three or more patients with the same strain in the same hospital in one calendar month is no longer compiled. The following table shows the number of bacteraemia reports per 100,000 head of population for each region. Data for the voluntary reporting system are available from 1996 but are known to be incomplete. Mandatory reporting was introduced in April 2001 and the first year's data are provided.

Number of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia laboratory reports and rate per 100,000 population* Voluntary laboratory surveillance: 1996–2001
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Number Rate Number Rate Number Rate Number Rate Number Rate Number Rate
North East 10 0.39 46 1.78 138 5.35 143 5.55 185 7.18 179 6.95
Yorkshire & Humberside 50 0.73 130 1.89 197 2.86 181 2.63 314 4.55 378 5.48
East Midlands 40 0.79 130 2.57 143 2.83 215 4.25 331 6.54 404 7.99
Eastern 159 3.78 271 6.44 364 8.65 442 10.50 477 11.34 604 14.35
London 327 6.13 447 8.38 422 7.91 458 8.58 549 10.29 525 9.84
South East 228 4.18 321 5.88 375 6.87 404 7.40 564 10.33 724 13.26
South West 87 1.18 191 2.59 191 2.59 305 4.14 373 5.06 479 6.49
West Midlands 267 3.29 336 4.14 396 4.88 498 6.14 771 9.50 817 10.07
North West 105 2.11 173 3.48 295 5.93 367 7.38 365 7.34 453 9.11
England 1,273 2.55 2,045 4.09 2,521 5.04 3,013 6.03 3,929 7.86 4,563 9.13

Mandatory surveillance: April 2001–March 2002
Number Rate
North East 363 14.08
Yorkshire and Humberside 714 10.36
East Midlands 543 10.74
Eastern 744 17.68
London 1555 29.15
South East 1012 18.54
South West 696 9.44
West Midlands 761 9.38
North West 870 17.49
England 7258 14.52

2000 Population by Region
ONS Population 200
North East 2,577,346
Yorkshire and Humberside 6,893,932
East Midlands 5,057.915
Eastern 4,207,925
London 5,335,361
South East 5,459,606
South West 7,375,065
West Midlands 8,114,848
North West 4,975,091
England 49,997,089
*2000 regional population data used as denominators for all rate calculations

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