Last week, the first cases of VRE were found in surgery and urology ward 1 at Ystad Hospital, according to Ystads Allehanda. In total, a total of 7 patients have now been found infected with the bacterium.
Vancomycin-resistant enterococci, VRE, are a group of gut bacteria that are or can become resistant to all known antibiotics.
"Having an outbreak of a resistant bacterium, such as VRE, is serious. It can be serious for the person affected, says chief medical officer Katharina Ornstein.
The infection is traced
The samples from Ystad Hospital have now been sent to the Public Health Agency of Sweden, which will investigate whether there is any connection between them.
– At the end of next week, we are waiting for an answer to whether the patients have been infected at the hospital or if they have come here with the infection, says Katharina Ornstein, to Ystads Allehanda.
Since the outbreak, the hospital has tightened its hygiene routines, says Katharina Ornstein. The hospital has also contacted patients who have been inpatients in the past month.
In most cases, however, the bacterium is not dangerous for the infected person and none of the seven patients who have currently been infected are sick.
"They are carriers of infection. No one is sick. It is very rare to get sick from this bakery.
Important to get rid of
But an antibiotic-resistant bacterium is not something that can be in a hospital environment, says Katharina Ornstein. Ystad Hospital is now working to isolate the outbreak.
"This particular bacterium can be difficult to remove from the environment, so we know that the outbreak can continue for a longer period of time. That's why you should absolutely grab it right away. And for the occasional patients who can get sick from the bacterium.