Killer stomach bug strikes elderly in hospitals
A deadly stomach bug which has killed thousands of people overseas, mainly elderly, has now been found in Australian patients.
The Australian has reported that the relatively new Clostridium difficile bacteria, known as the Quebec strain after it killed 1,270 there in 2003, has also struck in Europe, killing 29 people in Copenhagen hospitals this year.
The Victorian private hospital, Epworth, has confirmed the strain has been found in three elderly patients.
Tom Riley, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Western Australia, said the outbreak was of huge concern, and has previously commented on the ill-preparedness of the health and hospital systems to cope with an outbreak.
He said the strain was resistant to the latest antibiotics and could not be killed by alcoholic hand washes used in most hospitals.
“Because this bug is a spore, alcohol has no effect. You have to go back to traditional hand washing,” he said.
