'Greater vigilance' urged as new superbug outbreak declared at University Hospital Limerick

MANAGEMENT at University Hospital Limerick has said "greater vigilance" is required amid the outbreak of a new type of superbug this week, as visiting restrictions remain in place. 

The UL Hospitals Group stated this Friday evening that there have been 24 new positive cases of Carbapenem-producing Enterobacteriaceae [CPE] at the Dooradoyle hospital since June—an increase of three cases in recent weeks. 

CPE is a multi-drug resistant superbug that is resistant to a very important group of antibiotics called Carbapenems, making it difficult to maintain, especially in an acute hospital setting. 

Up until recently, the CPE superbug most commonly detected in the Mid-West produced the KPC enzyme. 

However, the UL Hospitals Group has confirmed that the most recent detection of the superbug at UHL concerns the OXA-48 enzyme which is "more easily spread" and not typically found in this region. 

"Therefore ongoing vigilance is required to manage the situation and strict visitor restrictions are being enforced," the spokesperson said this Friday. 

The spokesperson added: "There have been 24 new positive cases detected since June linked to this current outbreak. There are currently four CPE-positive inpatients at University Hospital Limerick. The vast majority of cases detected since June relate to patients colonised with and not infected with CPE. CPE contacts are being isolated/cohorted as appropriate."

Patients can have carriage or colonised CPE, which rests harmlessly in the gut. However, if the patient is infected with CPE, there is generally a 50% fatality rate. 

"Until further notice only one visitor per patient is allowed and during visiting hours (2pm to 4pm and 6pm to 9pm) only. Members of the public are reminded not to bring children on visits anywhere in the hospital. Parents of children in Paediatrics and relatives of those in critical care are the only exceptions to this restriction."

The spokesperson said the restrictions have been put in place "in the interests of patient care".

"These restrictions are necessary to reduce visitor traffic to wards to allow clinical teams to concentrate more time to deliver patient care and to facilitate good infection prevention and control practice, including additional cleaning."

"Please note that there is no significant risk to visitors from the presence in the hospital of isolated CPE-colonised patients or isolated/cohorted CPE contacts. Any risk is overwhelmingly to other vulnerable patients and the visiting restrictions are in place to allow staff to manage this risk," he said in a statement. 

CPE is an endemic superbug in the Mid-West region.