Antibiotic Resistant Organisms and C. difficile Infection Rates

Since 2006, the WRHA has calculated hospital-related case rates of C. difficile and antibiotic resistant organisms. Methods to capture cases were designed by Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living based on Canadian standards (CNISP).  CNISP is the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program. They produce annual Canadian reports with average hospital-related rates. The WRHA uses these to see how we compare to the Canadian average.

C. difficile is an infection that can occur in the bowel. It causes significant diarrhea and can occur after antibiotics have been taken. Antibiotic resistant organisms include, but are not limited to Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Carbapenemase producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE). These germs can cause infections in the community and in hospitals. If a person has one of these germs, it can affect his/her health and healing outcomes. Treatment of these infections can be hard because regularly used antibiotics may not work. All of these infections can spread from person to person.

CNISP methods have changed over time. Until March 2018, hospital-related MRSA infections and colonizations were combined and reported together. Someone who is colonized with a germ (e.g., MRSA) tests positive for it, but does not have any symptoms of disease (they carry the germ but it is not causing harm to them). A person who is infected with a germ tests positive for it AND has symptoms of disease.

Since April 2018, only hospital-related MRSA infections are reported. Combining colonized with infected cases resulted in information that did not explain the significance/impact on patients. When combined, the noteworthy impact of MRSA infections on patients, their care, their length of hospital stays, as well as impact to the health-care system, is masked.

Monthly Rates