ABU DHABI // MRSA, the bacterium that resists antibiotics and is a leading cause of potentially fatal infections, is on the rise in hospitals.
A study at Tawam Hospital in Al Ain found the superbug was more than twice as prevalent in 2008 than in 2003. Health experts said the findings were likely to be repeated throughout the country, and urged tighter hospital infection control procedures, improved hygiene and a curb on unnecessary prescriptions for antibiotics.
“This is actually why we are trying to control the prescription of antibiotics,” said Dr Omniyat Al Hajeri, the director of public health and policy at the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi.
“Not everybody that has the common cold or the flu should be prescribed an antibiotic until it is clearly evident that they have a secondary bacterial infection.”
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a bacterium that is often present in our skin and nostrils. It can cause a range of conditions, from minor infections to life-threatening illnesses such as pneumonia and meningitis, but can be successfully treated with antibiotics.
Healthy individuals may also carry the antibiotic-resistant strain (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA) with no ill effects. It is when they become ill or have an open wound that the bacterium becomes dangerous.
Researchers from UAE University studied 26 strains of MRSA at Tawam Hospital in 2003, and again in 2008. In 2003, the 26 MRSA bacteria were found in 500 strains of S. aureus, an incidence of 5.2 per cent. In 2008, the 26 MRSA were found in 211 strains of S. aureus, an incidence of 12.3 per cent.
“In this country, our MRSA cannot be compared with countries like the UK. We are more to be compared with Scandinavian countries, where it is much lower,” said Dr Mansour Al Zarouni, a medical and molecular microbiologist and the head of laboratories at Sharjah Medical District.
“So that’s good news, but the bad news is it is increasing for various reasons.”
These reasons could include a patient travelling abroad for treatment, picking up the bacterium, then bringing it back with them to the UAE, said the doctor.
S. aureus is a relatively common bacteria but it is also responsible for a range of conditions: from impetigo and abscesses to more serious illnesses such as meningitis and staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). It is most commonly spread by a combination of lack of hand hygiene and direct contact – from patient to patient or from a healthcare worker to a patient.
The bacteria’s growing resistance to antibiotics such as methicillin is a threat to both patients and hospitals, said Professor Tibor Pal, one of the authors of the study and a consultant clinical microbiologist and professor of microbiology at UAE University’s faculty of medicine and health sciences.
“If the organism is resistant to methicillin it means that the Staphylococcus aureus strain is resistant to the whole class of beta-lactams [antibiotics], so a very important class of drugs is out; we can’t use them,” he said.
Although the UAE University study focuses on only one hospital, Dr Jens Thomsen, of the community health and surveillance department at the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (Haad), said it was likely not to be an isolated incident.
“Antimicrobial resistance data is currently still being analysed on a pan-Emirates level and not by hospital. Preliminary results and findings are still subject to further analysis and expert discussion.
“There is, however, evidence that MRSA rates at several hospitals have increased significantly over the last years, compared to data published in the scientific literature.”
Community-Acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA), which differs from Hospital-Acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA) in that it is less resistant to antibiotics, is also on the increase in hospitals. At Tawam, over the same five-year period, CA-MRSA overtook HA-MRSA to comprise 73.1 per cent of the strains tested.
The rate at which MRSA grows resistant to antibiotics is likely to be affected by the overuse of these medicines, said Dr Al Hajeri.
“We get challenged all the time on why we are controlling the prescription of antibiotics. We get challenged by the community itself but we also get the challenge from general practitioners and most of the junior physicians that are in an outpatient setting,” she said.
The increase in MRSA found is not yet on par with that of other countries but it is a problem that must be looked at immediately, and with great importance, Dr Thomsen said.
“It is a concerning trend and they report in their study that this is a common finding in other hospitals as well. Over the whole UAE, it’s kind of a similar trend, so, of course, hospital infection control procedures have to be followed and strictly adhered to to combat this trend.”
ZAlhassani@thenational.ae
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
RESULT
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal: Aubameyang (13')
Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87')
Wonka
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South Africa's T20 squad
Duminy (c), Behardien, Dala, De Villiers, Hendricks, Jonker, Klaasen (wkt), Miller, Morris, Paterson, Phangiso, Phehlukwayo, Shamsi, Smuts.
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
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Company%20profile
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Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
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Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
ASHES FIXTURES
1st Test: Brisbane, Nov 23-27
2nd Test: Adelaide, Dec 2-6
3rd Test: Perth, Dec 14-18
4th Test: Melbourne, Dec 26-30
5th Test: Sydney, Jan 4-8
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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The biog
Birthday: February 22, 1956
Born: Madahha near Chittagong, Bangladesh
Arrived in UAE: 1978
Exercise: At least one hour a day on the Corniche, from 5.30-6am and 7pm to 8pm.
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi? “Everywhere. Wherever you go, you can relax.”
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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On sale: Now
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Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others
Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.
As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.
Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.
“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”
Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.
“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”
Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.
