Reid to fight superbugs with silver and cashew nuts

Last updated at 16:48 01 December 2004


Potential new weapons in the fight against hospital superbugs have been announced by Health Secretary John Reid.

A special "rapid review" panel has been set up to examine equipment and materials to improve hospital cleanliness, hygiene and infection control.

Today Dr Reid said that three new products had been identified that could potentially help in the fight against infections such as MRSA.

The products include silver-coated hydrogel catheters which reduce the number of urinary tract infections in patients.

'I leave no stone unturned'

The panel also recommended Bioquell de-contamination systems which use a range of hydrogen peroxide vapour systems to de-contaminate hospital rooms.

The final product was the Ebiox range of hand hygiene materials which use non-alcohol based gel for hand cleaning.

The panel concluded that the catheters could be introduced into NHS clinical practice after peer-reviewed trials and economic appraisal.

They said that Bioquell and Ebiox stilled needed further evaluation in an NHS setting.

The panel also looked at four other products, including one derived from cashew nuts, but concluded that although they were potentially useful new concepts, more research and development was needed.

Speaking at the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) conference in Birmingham today, Dr Reid said: "In the battle against the superbug I leave no stone unturned.

"Lots of claims have been made for all types of products, but the NHS needs to know what works.

"That's why I asked top Government scientists to investigate all claims, however odd they seem at first, be it silver or even cashew nuts.

"If they can help in the battle with the ever-changing MRSA bug then we want to know.

"This is the latest step in our campaign to improve cleanliness and lower infection rates."

Soaring numbers

Last month the Health Secretary ordered hospitals to dramatically slash rates of the deadly superbug MRSA.

Dr Reid said he expected rates of MRSA bloodstream infection to be halved by March 2008.

Hospital-acquired infections, including MRSA, have soared in recent years and are blamed for 5,000 deaths a year.

But campaigners claim the true death toll could more than twice this figure.

MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is resistant to conventional antibiotics, making it very difficult to treat.

It first appeared in the 1960s but has now reached epidemic levels.

Government figures show MRSA cases in England have risen from just over 1,000 in 1996 to over 7,000 last year.

It is estimated that hospital-acquired infections overall strike around 100,000 people each year in England, costing the NHS £1 billion.

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