Dangerous bowel bacteria spreading in Danish hospitals

Doctors says that better infection hygiene guidelines at hospitals would help reduce the spread

Danish hospitals are experiencing an increase in cases involving antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can lead to serious blood poisoning and are difficult to treat, according to Ingeniøren newspaper.

Hospitals in Denmark, as well as Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands, have seen increased incidents of the so-called vancomycin-resistant enterococcus bacteria (VRE), which is found in the human intestine.

The development has raised concerns because the antibiotic vancomycin is today the primary treatment form for serious infections with antibiotic-resistant enterococcus, which can lead to heart valve infection and other forms of blood poisoning.

“We are facing a serious problem because the infection can be extremely dangerous – particularly for the elderly and weakened patients – so it’s important to fight the spread,” Robert Skov, the area head for Bacteriologic Surveillance and Infection Control at the State Serum Institute, told Ingeniøren.

“But as of now, we don’t have any means to treat healthy carriers of the bacteria.”

READ MORE: Unexplained deaths on the increase in Denmark

Better hygiene needed
The increase of VRE cases was first registered at a hospital department in the Mid Jutland Region from 2010 to 2011, but VRE infection instances have since spread to Zealand.

The State Serum Institute received 54 reports of cases in 2012, which rose to 248 cases in 2013, as well as 168 cases of the bacteria in patients who have yet to show infection symptoms.

It is not know why there has been a spike in VRE cases, but Skov believes that better infection hygiene guidelines at hospitals would help reduce the spread.

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