United States: The transmission speed of a lethal hospital infection turns out to be three times higher than researchers originally calculated.
The hospital bacteria, Clostridium difficile, also known as C. diff, easily spreads between patients while showing resistance to disinfectant solutions and causing death in six percent of total victims, primarily consisting of elderly individuals.
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Past investigations indicated C.diff only dispersed through hospital settings by means of patient-to-patient contact and surface contamination.
The University of Utah conducted research on specific bacterial strains, which revealed that healthcare units catering to at-risk patients see frequent hospital transmission.
Alcohol-Based Cleansers Failing
Scientists proved alcohol-based cleansers could not kill the bacteria, which then remained in hospital rooms for several weeks to transmit to new patients.
As per Dr Michael Rubin, an epidemiologist who led the study, “There’s a lot going on under the hood that we’re just not seeing,” DailyMail reported.
“If we ignore that, then we’re potentially putting patients at unnecessary risk,” Rubin added.
High Fatality Rates Among Elderly & Vulnerable
The healthcare pathogen C. diff causes illness through diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever symptoms at an annual rate of 500,000 patients in the United States.
Approximately 30,000 people succumb to death due to infection with it. The UK public health service data indicates that 16,000 individuals contract C.diff infections annually as hospital-based cases continue to increase.
About 2,100 die from the infections. The bacteria stay difficult to eliminate from medical facilities because they produce invisible spores outside human bodies, which endure for extended periods.
Medically, patients who contract the infection only experience recurring periods of diarrhea during mild infections, DailyMail reported.
More serious cases of the disease trigger diarrhea up to 15 times daily, which is associated with constant abdominal pain and swelling as well as fever and fast heart rate.