§ Mr. LansleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what preventative measures his Department has taken against the threat of vancomycin resistantstaphylococcus aureus to the NHS; [184324]
(2) what re#earch his Government have conducted into the treatment against vancomycin resistant staphylococcus aureus; [184325]
(3) what contingency plans he has in place to control the spread of vancomycin resistant staphylococcus aureus in NHS hospitals. [184327]
§ Miss Melanie Johnson[holding answer 15 July 2004]: Minimising the development and spread of new strains such as vancomycin resistant staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) requires prudent prescribing of antibiotics as well as strict adherence to infection control measures. These measures are part of our action plan, "Winning Ways—Working Together to Reduce Healthcare Associated Infection in England".
We are aware of three incidents of VRSA infection worldwide to date and all were susceptible to some alternative antibiotics. Hospital microbiology laboratories carry out sensitivity tests on their isolates and the health protection agency monitors isolates of staphylococcus aureus for vancomycin resistance to detect any new cases of VRSA and to ensure that these very rare microorganisms are not becoming more commonplace.