Canadian Health Minister Orders Compulsory Reporting Of Superbug Cases

Toronto, Canada (AHN) - The rise in number of clostridium difficile-related deaths in Ontario has prompted Canadian Health Minister George Smitherman to order all hospitals to report cases of the superbug to the ministry.

So far 76 confined at the Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital in Burlington have died the past 20 months from direct and indirect exposure to the superbug bacteria, which leads to severe diarrhea.

C. difficile wreaks havoc on the intestines and colon, spread through feces. Hundred of strains of the bacteria had caused superbug outbreaks in various hospitals in Quebec, Ontario, other Canadian cities and even in other nations.

Dr. Michael Gardam, director of infection prevention and control of the University Health Network in Toronto, told the Toronto Star, "Control of this new, more harmful strain requires measures beyond normal infection prevention and control procedures."

Gardam led the review of Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital's medical records, which showed of 17,500 patients admitted between May 1, 2006 to Dec. 31, 2007, 177 had the superbug and 91 of them died in the facility due to the C. difficile.

Smitherman said the high death rates due to the superbug was very, very startling. Gardam added, quoted by the Globe and Mail, "I would assume there are other hospitals out there that have high rates that are either trying to control it on their own or don't even really know they have a high rate yet."