HC Deb 03 December 1996 vol 286 c632W
17. Mr. Alan W. Williams

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the percentage change in the annual incidence of MRSA in hospitals from 1990–91 to 1995–96. [5626]

Mr. Horam

Data on the occurrence of MRSA compiled by the public health laboratory service from isolates submitted by hospitals in England and Wales for specialist typing show a total of 2,286 confirmed reports from hospital incidents in 1992 and 17,063 in 1995. An incident is three or more patients with the same strain in a month from the same hospital. These figures represent the number of patients affected by MRSA incidents, not the number infected—about 80 per cent. of people who acquire MRSA carry it and do not suffer infection. Prior to 1992, a different surveillance system operated and previous data are not directly comparable.