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The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has announced that the number of cases of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Clostridium difficile (C difficile), are falling.
There were 1,072 MRSA infections recorded in England between July and September last year, an 18% decrease on the previous quarterly figure of 1,304 cases.
There were also 10,734 cases of C difficile in patients aged 65 and over in England over the same period of 2007, a 21% drop on the previous quarter, when 13,669 cases were reported.
Among patients aged two to 64, there were 2,496 cases between July and September. This is a 14% fall on the previous three-month total of 2,887.
Health minister Ann Keen said the Government is still on course to reduce MRSA rates by 50%.
She added: “I have met many staff in recent weeks who are leading the fight against infections in our hospitals.
“The latest reductions in MRSA and C difficile are a testament to their hard work and dedication.
“These figures are a clear sign that the steps we took last summer to tackle infections – including doubling the size of infection-fighting teams and £50m extra funding – have made an immediate impact.
“We remain on course to halve MRSA infections by the first quarter of 2008-09.”
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