TESTS ON 2 FEARED KILLED BY HOSPITAL SUPERBUG; Cuts made to services and no visitors allowed.

Byline: EOIN REYNOLDS

A SUPERBUG was last night being blamed for killing two people after an outbreak at one of the country's busiest hospitals.

Deadly C Diff struck at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Co Louth, prompting a visitor lock-out and the closure of three wards.

Two people who contracted the deadly disease died within the last week and postmortems will establish if they were killed by the bug.

The Health Service Executive said yesterday there had been 10 confirmed cases, and doctors are waiting on two further test results. Nine people were given the all-clear following tests.

Visitors have been warned to stay away and non-urgent surgeries and tests have been cancelled.

The Lourdes, which is the largest hospital in the north east, has also cut back on its emergency services. Most ambulance and GP referrals are being sent to other hospitals in the region.

An HSE spokeswoman said: "Infection control procedures have been implemented at the hospital and the HSE are requesting the public not to visit the hospital at this time. If a visit is essential or unavoidable, the public are asked to telephone the hospital in advance to make arrangements."

Teresa Graham of the Stop Infections Now group said C Diff is preventable if hospitals implement proper hygiene standards. She said: "One third of health care workers are not washing their hands between visiting patients, and doctors are the main offenders."

Dr Dominic O'Brannigan, clinical director for the HSE, said C Diff is not uncommon in hospitals and for most patients would mean mild symptoms, but it can seriously affect a small number of patients.

He said: "The situation in Our Lady of Lourdes is that normally, in any given month, we would have approximately three cases, and that is in keeping with the norms in other hospitals in Ireland." Newstalk 106's Lunchtime with Eamon Keane revealed yesterday that a recent HSE report was highly critical of hygiene standards at the Lourdes Hospital.

The HSE 2009 April report stated that key hygiene plans were not implemented and there was no evidence of a hygiene budget.

Fine Gael TD for Louth Fergus O'Dowd said: "I think it's not acceptable at all. My sympathies go out to the families of the people who have died and may have contracted this illness.

"Clearly, if the hospital wasn't doing the work, it should have been done, and if the audit has shown up these problems, I think it is shameful that the action hasn't been carried out."

Irish Mirror Comments: Page 10

C DIFF FACTS

Its proper name is clostridium difficile. It exists in the bowels of all people, is easily spread by unwashed hands and is resistant to antibiotics

CAPTION(S):

RESTRICTIONS People leaving Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, yesterday