MRSA Down, C. Difficile Up Slightly, Says CDC

Four types of common healthcare-associated infections are in decline, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2010 report.

However, the agency said that clostridium difficile infections resisted prevention efforts, with a slight increase of 1.1% compared with 2008 and a projected increase of 6.8% for 2010.

In a statement, CDC director Thomas R. Frieden, MD, said "Hospitals continue to make impressive progress in driving down certain infections in intensive care units through implementation of CDC prevention strategies," said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H.

"Hospitals and state health departments need to translate this progress to other areas of health care delivery and health care infections, such as dialysis and ambulatory surgery centers, and diarrheal infections such as Clostridium difficile."

The agency is keeping track of data submitted to the National Healthcare Safety Network, the CDC's healthcare infection monitoring system, to hasten the healthcare industry's progress in reaching nine national targets by 2013. 

It found that bloodstream infections, adherence to central line insertion practice guidelines, urinary tract infections, MRSA invasive infections, surgical site infections and surgical care improvement project measures are on track to meet these goals.