3400% Increase in New Superbug

A virulent new superbug that is highly contagious and resistant to many antibiotics has become established in New Zealand, revealed the Green Party today.

Health officials have failed to minimise its spread and have not alerted GPs, health professionals and the public to the seriousness of the outbreak, Green Party Health Spokesperson Sue Kedgley said.

In response to written questions, the Government has confirmed that a new strain of the superbug MRSA called USA300 has taken hold in New Zealand and has skyrocketed from 12 to 420 cases in the last four years – a 3400 percent increase.

“This strain of MRSA is contagious, easily misdiagnosed and resistant to many antibiotics,” said Ms Kedgley. “It is a cause of huge concern overseas, because it is virulent and contagious, and is associated with serious skin infection outbreaks, particularly amongst sports teams.

“It is easily misdiagnosed as a spider bite, and if not detected and treated at an early stage, it can spread rapidly and cause serious tissue infections and, in extreme cases, even death.

“Because it is contagious, if unchecked it can spread rapidly amongst the community and especially sports teams and others. People diagnosed with the superbug should be isolated from contact with others.

“It appears that the Government has done nothing to alert the public and health officials about this outbreak, or to develop a proactive strategy to limit its spread.

“The Government has failed to set up a national surveillance system that the Green Party secured funding for last year. The weekly monitoring programme for the superbug MRSA was stopped in 2005. It appears that DHBs have been left to cope in isolation with this new outbreak.”

DHBs should have been alerted so regional networks could have been set up to limit the spread earlier, local antibiotic treatment options could have been reviewed, and the spread of the MRSA should have been tracked in the community on a weekly basis, Ms Kedgley said.