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Deadly superbug reaches NZ

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Deadly superbug reaches NZ

3News NZ

An intestinal superbug that killed 14 people in Australia and thousands of others overseas has arrived in New Zealand.

Auckland hospital senior microbiologist Dr Sally Roberts confirmed to Radio New Zealand that clostridium difficile has been reported in New Zealand, although she was unaware of any severe cases as yet.

She said the bug can cause serious bowel damage.

A highly infectious and potentially deadly strain of clostridium difficile was identified in Australia in May 2010, and killed 14 people in the state of Victoria.

It has also killed thousands of people in Britain, North America and Europe in the past decade.

The normal strain of the bug is a common infection for patients in hospitals and nursing homes, and causes diarrhoea requiring a course of antibiotics.

However, the hypervirulent strain causes increased frequency, severity and relapse of infection.

NZN

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Comments

31/10/2012 9:54:35 a.m.

lk wrote:

I had this approx 2 years ago. I contracted it in wellington hospital after surgery. The bug nearly killed me 3 times and i spent 3 months in hospital due to the ravaging effects it had. It caused my bowel to ulcerate and i had to be feed through nasal gastic due to the wipe of effect it has. it is like hell on earth this bug

30/10/2012 11:47:15 a.m.

S wrote:

Hospitals & Resthomes etc need to urgently lift up their hygiene and cleaning levels - absolutley below standard cleaning & hygiene measures at the moment.

30/10/2012 9:55:29 a.m.

nzers wrote:

This isn't hasn't "just arrived" in NZ. My daughter came home from a private hospital in Auckland back in March this year with this severe infection. It took three months of very strong antibiotics to get it out of her system.