REACTION:LEVELS OF Clostridium difficilein Ennis General Hospital are now "probably below most other hospitals in the country", according to Ennis-based consultant Dr Terry Hennessy.
Following the publication of the Review of Increased Identification of clostridium difficile at Ennis General Hospital 2007, Dr Hennessy said progress had been made since last year.
"In Ennis at the minute we do not have a problem with C diffas an infection in the hospital. The hospital now has levels which are probably below most other hospitals in the country because of us implementing the recommendations in the report.
"In fact, a lot of those recommendations were implemented when we were tackling the problem through the course of last year straight through from April to August, while the recommendations which will come in the national document will also be implemented as appropriate ."
Dr Hennessy added: "The most important message for the people of Clare is that the hospital now has one of the lowest number of C diffcases in the country.
"Unfortunately, there will always be a background incidence of C diffbecause one in 20 of us carries the bug in our bowel naturally. If you are particularly ill or receive broad-spectrum antibiotics, this can cause the bug to breathe itself out and cause a problem."
He admitted, however: "People would have been aware that there were extra cases but the severity of the problem as it was, was not appreciated . . . Hopefully other hospitals in the country will learn from us coming out very transparently in this."
HSE hospital network manager in the midwest John Hennessy added: "People need to be very much aware that this happened in the first quarter of 2007, which was quite some time ago.
"There was a spike in the incidence of C diffparticularly in the months of March and April 2007. That was picked up during routine laboratory surveillance which is carried out all the time."
The HSE has set up a telephone helpline - 061-464444 - from 9.30am to 8pm today.