itsmeagain
- 19 Jul 2004 07:26
- 10 of 202
Gary K,here is a some info but the articles & analysis is fukk of info,hope below isn't too much and informs you of score. (Courtesy of Murraymint)
Fighting MRSA by Mike Walters
What follows is not an investment comment. It is a background document on MRSA and how it might be tackled, with reference to Ebiox. It comes from Gordon Wood, a director of Healthcare Enterprise Group. He is happy to see it reproduced here, and to be used as you wish. I am reproducing it in view of the interest aroused by my comments earlier this week, and to help support those who are pressing their MPs and others to get the authorities to act, and act quickly, in bringing Ebiox into the fight to make our hospitals safer.
Hospital acquired infections (HAI) are those that are neither present or incubating when a patient enters hospital. Their effects vary from discomfort for the patient, to prolonged or permanent disability, and even death.
Infections such as caused by Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus, MRSA are more commonly known as a superbug.
Best estimates suggest that each year there are at least 100,000 cases cases of HAI in England causing around 5,000 deaths, and the cost to the National Health Service may be as much as GBP 1 billion a year.
A survey showed Britain had the worst record for infection in Europe - patients here are 40 times more likely to catch MRSA than those in Holland.
The vast majority of HAIs are caused by high patient throughput, inadequate hygiene and misuse of disinfectants and antibiotics.
What are the problem microorganisms ?
Streptococcus pyrogenes is a common cause of sore throat. Althogh not very common the severity of the illness makes it an important pathogen to eradicate.
Entrococcus faecium has emerged as an important pathogen which is acquiring resistance to a range of antimicrobials.
Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfingens are spore forming bacteria and are the cause of much morbidity in elderly hospitalized patients.
Entrobacter cloacae, Gram negative species such as Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas and Burkholderia pose a serious threat to hospitalized patients.
However Staphylococcus aureus is the most important noscomial pathogen causing mortality in hospitalized patients. Strains resistant to antibiotics (MRSA) are a serious increasing problem and Doctors are very worried about the future with MRSA.
What is MRSA?
Staphylococcus is a family of common bacteria often found in 20-30% of the throats, noses and skin of healthy people.
MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, but is shorthand for any strain of Staphylococcus bacteria which is resistant to one or more conventional antibiotics such as methicillin.
Some bacterial strains' genetic makeup will give them a slight advantage when it comes to fighting off antibiotic attack. So when weaker strains encounter antibiotics, they die, while these naturally resistant strains may prove harder to kill. Bacterial genes have an inbuilt self defence mechanism and are constantly mutating.
The number of reports of MRSA infections rises year by year - and the latest evidence suggests that deaths due to MRSA are increasing at a similar rate.
Already, the spectre of a bug resistant to all antibiotics is approaching.
In Japan it is understood that vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus Aureus VRSA, has acquired resistance to the drug considered the "last line of defence" when all other antibiotics have failed.
The UK has already seen several cases of GISA, or glycopeptide intermediate Staphylococcus aureus, a kind of "halfway house" between MRSA and VRSA, which has developed a resistance to antibiotics of the vancomycin family.
Although new antibiotics are being developed all the time, pessimistic experts believe it is only a matter of time at current rates until virtually every weapon in the pharmaceutical arsenal is nullified.
Why does MRSA exist ?
One reason behind their swift evolution into "superbugs" is the overuse of antibiotics, both in human and veterinary medicine.
Another, possibly more mysterious reason, is from dirty surfaces and lack of basic hygiene, inadequate cleaning and the casual use of disinfectants.
All surfaces maintain a molecular Bio Film where bacteria living or landing on a surface secrete a polysaccharide (sugar) complex. As more land and grow this living wallpaper thrives.
This Bio Film, which is almost insoluble, protects the micro organisms from attack by surface agents. Bio Films are not static but in a constant state of movement and change.
There is a constant re allocation of microbic species. By interfering with this constant change by the use of only partially effective disinfectants then an out of balance scene will develop and resistant microbes eg MRSA will attain supremacy.
Likewise the use of traditional cleaning detergents will leave an invisible nutrient rich film which will enhance the Bio Film and feed the microbic species, possibly to dangerous levels. The film will then dry out and encapsulated micro species will be carried by air currents until they land on a surface or an open wound.
Finally it is believed that MRSA has changed it now can actually penetrate and live inside certain other bacteria and possibly micro fungi. This isolates them from attack.
Why is it so dangerous ?
It is a fact of life in the NHS that patients are at higher than normal risk of picking up an infection on the wards.
This is for two reasons - firstly, that the population in hospitals tends to be older, sicker and weaker than the general population, making them more vulnerable to the infection. Also, there are by definition more people with diseases and open wounds in hospital, and more MRSA carriers. Often, hospital staff are carriers of the bug, without realising it.
Secondly, conditions in hospitals, which involve a great many people living together, create complex ecosystems whereby patients live in an unbalanced symbiosis with microbes within the building structure. This is the perfect environment for the transmission of all manner of infections.
What can we do about it now ?
The MRSA problem is not curing with antibiotics but changing cleaning and hygiene products and procedures to match the modern demands within a health care establishment. Strict hygiene is the best defense and falls into two categories Hand Hygiene and Surface Hygiene.
Hand Hygiene
This is essential, it is difficult to over emphasise the importance of good hand hygiene. Noscomial pathogens are transmitted via the hands of health care workers and hand hygiene is considered a leading preventative measure to reduce cross contamination in Healthcare settings.
Two different types of hand hygiene procedures are recommended to be followed.
1. Washing with an antibacterial soap or scrub.
2. Regular application of a hand disinfectant between patients and when hands are not dirty.
Hand washing on a regular basis is not always practical and can cause Irritant Dermatitis, hence the need for top up protection with the hand disinfectant.
Hand Hygiene agents should have anti microbial efficacy against noscomial pathogens. In Europe, the state of the art protocols to test their efficacy are referred to as the European norms (EN).
prEN12054 is a standard for establishing whether a Hand Wash or a Hand Disinfectant does have bactericidal activity under laboratory conditions. The test organisms are Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Entrococcus hirae and Staphylococcus aureus. Should a product comply with the test requirements, it can be considered to possess bactericidal activity.
En1499 (Phase 2 step 2) is the standard by which the efficacy of Hand Scrubs are tested under practical conditions where disinfection is medically indicated. The test comprises artificially contaminating hands of volunteers, before and after application of a Hand Scrub with test and reference products. To pass the test the reduction factor of the test product should be significantly superior to the reference product.
EN1500 is the standard by which the efficacy of Hand disinfectants are tested under practical conditions by comparison with the reference disinfectant (2-propanol, 60% volume per volume) tested on Eshererichia coli K12. The tested product should not be less effective that the reference alcohol.
However any Hand Hygiene agent, as it will be used on a regular basis, should be mild to the skin and provide low skin irritancy. Disinfection products that pass the above tests normally contain alcohol, unfortunately alcohol has little if any residual effect and after immediate application offers little protection, in addition alcohol causes skin irritancy and dryness and can lead to personnel avoiding their use.
Ebiox V2 Hand Scrub fully complies with prEN 12054 and exceeds the standard EN1499.
Ebiox V2 Hand Disinfectant fully complies with prEN12054 and EN1500.
Both products have been independently tested at the Hospital Infection Research Laboratory in Birmingham and are proven to eradicate MRSA from hands.
V2 Hand Hygiene products are unique they have a residual long lasting effect, do not contain alcohol and as such do not cause skin irritations, are lotions with moisturizers BUT STILL OFFER THE PROTECTION REQUIRED.
Surface Hygiene
This includes locker tops adjacent to patients, mattresses, floors, walls and other patient contact areas.
It is the efficient removal of the pathogen loaded Bio Film which is CRITICAL. This will eliminate the living wallpaper which is the source that harbours protects and feeds MRSA and provides the protective shell for the self generation of mutant and resistant bacteria
Conventional detergents and disinfectants have to be discarded, they simply do not have the power to deal with the rapidly changing bio-protective systems evolved by micro organisms.
Trionic Plus is a new technology surface active agent which will penetrate and completely remove the bio film and embedded pathogens. These micro organisms are then destroyed by the active ingredients in Trionic Plus which are effective against a broad range of bacteria and viruses. Trionic Plus in this form is ideal for regular use to clean, deodorise and sanitise surfaces on a general basis and maintain an hygienic environment.
When more than routine cleaning is required in either a sensitive or high risk area, in the event of a disease outbreak or a specific need to immediately eradicate a known pathogen Trionic Plus can be ACTIVATED to create a Terminal Disinfectant.
Trionic Plus when activated is probably the most powerful and safe oxidising biocide available containing nine different oxidants. Applied to any hard surface it will immediately eradicate bacteria, viruses, fungi and spores. It will eradicate MRSA and kill Parvovirus in seconds. Proven more effective than toxic Gluteraldehyde, corrosive Peracetic acid, Chlorine, Isopropyl alcohol and Ethanol whilst being user and environmentally friendly and safe to use.
Trionic Plus when activated will give total disinfection under extreme conditions.
The Hospital Infection Research Laboratory carried out an Assessment test to assess the Bio Film removal effect of Trionic Plus in normal use and the killing effect when activated.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa NCTC 6749, Staphylococcus aureus NCTC 10788 and Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus NCTC 12493 were the test bacteria.
These were dried onto a stainless steel disks and immersed for a range of contact times. The number or remaining test organisms were counted to ascertain the removal/killing efficacy.
Trionic Plus outperformed the reference product and achieved a greater than 4 log reduction in test soiling which is equivalent to more 99.99% removal.
Trionic plus when activated killed the test organisms below non detectable level in less than 15 seconds.
Note: I believe Mike is happy to see this made public to help those writing to local MPs etc.
grevis2
- 19 Jul 2004 14:39
- 15 of 202
Historical Prices - HCEG.L (HEALTHCARE ENTERPRISE GROUP PLC) As of 16-Jul-04
Date Open High Low Close Volume Adj. Close*
16-Jul-04 1.65 1.65 1.65 1.63 3,866,620 1.63
15-Jul-04 1.63 1.65 1.63 1.69 15,768,800 1.69
14-Jul-04 1.60 1.62 1.60 1.60 22,407,300 1.60
13-Jul-04 1.59 1.60 1.59 1.59 13,180,700 1.59
12-Jul-04 1.55 1.59 1.55 1.57 7,310,820 1.57
09-Jul-04 1.59 1.59 1.55 1.57 2,109,300 1.57
08-Jul-04 1.59 1.60 1.59 1.60 1,925,200 1.60
07-Jul-04 1.59 1.59 1.59 1.57 1,051,640 1.57
06-Jul-04 1.62 1.62 1.59 1.55 1,156,940 1.55
05-Jul-04 1.65 1.65 1.62 1.58 1,512,790 1.58
02-Jul-04 1.63 1.66 1.63 1.60 1,836,850 1.60
01-Jul-04 1.65 1.65 1.63 1.60 685,322 1.60
30-Jun-04 1.65 1.65 1.65 1.50 3,605,480 1.50
29-Jun-04 1.62 1.65 1.62 1.60 12,852,300 1.60
28-Jun-04 1.72 1.72 1.62 1.60 4,897,370 1.60
25-Jun-04 1.71 1.72 1.71 1.68 1,693,590 1.68
24-Jun-04 1.73 1.73 1.71 1.69 856,672 1.69
23-Jun-04 1.74 1.74 1.73 1.68 1,525,730 1.68
22-Jun-04 1.75 1.75 1.74 1.70 504,376 1.70
21-Jun-04 1.76 1.76 1.74 1.72 1,311,680 1.72
18-Jun-04 1.76 1.76 1.76 1.73 1,578,600 1.73
17-Jun-04 1.75 1.76 1.75 1.76 1,702,310 1.76
16-Jun-04 1.75 1.75 1.75 1.74 4,647,210 1.74
15-Jun-04 1.76 1.76 1.74 1.70 1,920,250 1.70
14-Jun-04 1.76 1.76 1.76 1.76 4,275,760 1.76
11-Jun-04 1.76 1.76 1.76 1.73 1,669,900 1.73
10-Jun-04 1.76 1.76 1.76 1.76 1,122,290 1.76
09-Jun-04 1.73 1.76 1.73 1.73 7,197,510 1.73
08-Jun-04 1.77 1.77 1.75 1.70 2,821,860 1.70
07-Jun-04 1.77 1.77 1.76 1.75 9,384,000 1.75
04-Jun-04 1.70 1.74 1.70 1.71 7,705,450 1.71
03-Jun-04 1.69 1.70 1.69 1.70 23,205,300 1.70
02-Jun-04 1.72 1.72 1.68 1.71 3,403,110 1.71
01-Jun-04 1.67 1.70 1.66 1.72 4,607,880 1.72
28-May-04 1.73 1.73 1.70 1.70 1,623,200 1.70
27-May-04 1.73 1.73 1.73 1.70 1,064,460 1.70
26-May-04 1.67 1.73 1.67 1.70 6,867,420 1.70
25-May-04 1.67 1.67 1.67 1.63 355,259 1.63
24-May-04 1.67 1.67 1.67 1.63 1,991,160 1.63
21-May-04 1.68 1.68 1.67 1.63 2,067,710 1.63
20-May-04 1.68 1.68 1.68 1.69 1,429,830 1.69
19-May-04 1.65 1.68 1.65 1.70 9,788,380 1.70
18-May-04 1.67 1.67 1.65 1.64 2,969,630 1.64
17-May-04 1.75 1.75 1.67 1.65 4,668,740 1.65
14-May-04 1.74 1.76 1.73 1.73 7,661,440 1.73
13-May-04 1.75 1.75 1.74 1.77 3,645,650 1.77
12-May-04 1.58 1.76 1.58 1.79 25,250,800 1.79
11-May-04 1.74 1.74 1.65 1.63 8,599,630 1.63
10-May-04 1.88 1.88 1.76 1.73 7,016,340 1.73
07-May-04 1.96 1.96 1.88 1.86 4,906,980 1.86
06-May-04 2.00 2.00 1.96 2.03 4,511,580 2.03
05-May-04 2.03 2.04 2.00 1.95 4,602,610 1.95
04-May-04 2.04 2.04 2.03 1.98 3,354,420 1.98
30-Apr-04 2.04 2.04 2.04 2.04 4,409,020 2.04
29-Apr-04 2.06 2.06 2.04 2.02 5,025,910 2.02
28-Apr-04 2.04 2.06 2.04 2.01 7,749,020 2.01
27-Apr-04 1.98 2.04 1.98 2.02 12,025,800 2.02
26-Apr-04 1.96 1.99 1.96 1.93 61,091,800 1.93
23-Apr-04 1.93 1.95 1.93 1.94 3,485,050 1.94
22-Apr-04 1.98 1.98 1.93 1.93 5,661,380 1.93
21-Apr-04 2.07 2.07 1.95 1.97 10,170,500 1.97
20-Apr-04 2.09 2.09 2.06 2.09 6,043,630 2.09
19-Apr-04 2.09 2.09 2.09 2.10 14,032,800 2.10
16-Apr-04 2.10 2.10 2.10 2.11 12,205,500 2.11
15-Apr-04 2.09 2.10 2.09 2.11 29,013,900 2.11
14-Apr-04 2.07 2.09 2.07 2.07 21,360,200 2.07
13-Apr-04 2.06 2.07 2.04 2.05 27,390,600 2.05
08-Apr-04 2.10 2.10 2.05 2.05 11,594,000 2.05
07-Apr-04 2.06 2.06 2.06 2.04 1,455,560 2.04
06-Apr-04 2.09 2.09 2.06 2.05 4,585,790 2.05
05-Apr-04 2.09 2.12 2.09 2.09 5,538,830 2.09
02-Apr-04 2.07 2.08 2.07 2.03 4,240,940 2.03
01-Apr-04 2.08 2.08 2.07 2.03 5,256,400 2.03
31-Mar-04 2.09 2.09 2.08 2.03 3,048,350 2.03
30-Mar-04 2.08 2.11 2.08 2.05 12,141,700 2.05
29-Mar-04 2.17 2.17 2.08 2.05 6,918,220 2.05
26-Mar-04 2.20 2.20 2.18 2.15 5,579,970 2.15
25-Mar-04 2.21 2.23 2.20 2.18 8,112,760 2.18
24-Mar-04 2.26 2.26 2.23 2.23 6,610,410 2.23
23-Mar-04 2.27 2.28 2.26 2.23 5,155,810 2.23
22-Mar-04 2.29 2.30 2.27 2.23 11,314,100 2.23
19-Mar-04 2.33 2.33 2.29 2.25 12,198,300 2.25
18-Mar-04 2.29 2.33 2.29 2.34 39,540,600 2.34
17-Mar-04 2.22 2.22 2.19 2.15 5,199,800 2.15
16-Mar-04 2.29 2.29 2.23 2.20 7,122,200 2.20
15-Mar-04 2.26 2.29 2.26 2.30 28,127,300 2.30
12-Mar-04 2.19 2.23 2.17 2.24 14,710,500 2.24
11-Mar-04 2.34 2.34 2.17 2.15 18,353,000 2.15
10-Mar-04 2.31 2.34 2.31 2.33 22,227,400 2.33
09-Mar-04 2.34 2.34 2.22 2.25 12,444,500 2.25
08-Mar-04 2.24 2.35 2.24 2.31 29,056,500 2.31
05-Mar-04 2.16 2.23 2.15 2.23 216,020,992 2.23
04-Mar-04 2.21 2.21 2.09 2.16 27,683,700 2.16
03-Mar-04 2.23 2.23 2.23 2.24 12,596,300 2.24
02-Mar-04 2.40 2.40 2.22 2.24 48,003,600 2.24
01-Mar-04 2.27 2.46 2.27 2.39 131,588,000 2.39
27-Feb-04 2.14 2.22 2.14 2.24 95,151,400 2.24
26-Feb-04 2.12 2.14 2.12 2.12 74,079,200 2.12
25-Feb-04 1.98 1.99 1.98 1.99 14,562,300 1.99
24-Feb-04 1.96 1.98 1.96 1.97 23,115,500 1.97
23-Feb-04 1.94 1.96 1.94 1.97 9,733,260 1.97
20-Feb-04 1.94 1.94 1.94 1.94 2,175,960 1.94
19-Feb-04 1.94 1.94 1.94 1.93 2,815,890 1.93
18-Feb-04 1.95 1.98 1.94 1.95 6,792,280 1.95
17-Feb-04 1.92 1.93 1.92 1.92 14,041,400 1.92
16-Feb-04 1.93 1.95 1.92 1.95 13,379,100 1.95
13-Feb-04 1.86 1.93 1.86 1.93 21,548,400 1.93
12-Feb-04 1.82 1.84 1.80 1.85 12,474,500 1.85
11-Feb-04 1.83 1.87 1.82 1.78 7,612,080 1.78
10-Feb-04 1.88 1.88 1.86 1.90 7,391,920 1.90
09-Feb-04 1.88 1.88 1.88 1.88 15,660,600 1.88
06-Feb-04 1.88 1.89 1.87 1.87 9,835,470 1.87
05-Feb-04 1.89 1.89 1.88 1.88 6,973,830 1.88
04-Feb-04 1.89 1.89 1.89 1.91 5,505,080 1.91
03-Feb-04 1.91 1.91 1.88 1.88 3,287,560 1.88
02-Feb-04 1.91 1.92 1.91 1.91 10,910,200 1.91
30-Jan-04 1.88 1.88 1.88 1.88 5,791,940 1.88
29-Jan-04 1.88 1.88 1.88 1.87 3,542,200 1.87
28-Jan-04 1.88 1.88 1.88 1.88 27,853,900 1.88
27-Jan-04 1.88 1.88 1.88 1.87 2,103,340 1.87
26-Jan-04 1.88 1.88 1.88 1.88 3,289,680 1.88
23-Jan-04 1.88 1.88 1.88 1.87 59,942,400 1.87
22-Jan-04 1.88 1.88 1.88 1.87 6,141,100 1.87
21-Jan-04 1.88 1.88 1.88 1.88 4,356,900 1.88
20-Jan-04 1.88 1.91 1.88 1.90 51,900,100 1.90
19-Jan-04 1.88 1.89 1.88 1.90 5,115,060 1.90