 Sixteen patients at Ninewells Hospital tested positive for MRSA |
A ward at Dundee's Ninewells Hospital has been closed after an "unusually high" number of patients tested positive for the MRSA superbug. NHS Tayside said it had been shut as a precautionary measure to prevent any spread of the infection.
Ward 11, which has 30 beds, caters for mainly elderly patients with vascular conditions.
An infection control team was called in after 16 of the 24 patients were found to have the bug.
As a result, nursing staff have been separated into two teams - one to care for the patients with MRSA and the other to look after those who have not tested positive.
Dr Gabby Phillips, infection control doctor at Ninewells, said: "Stopping the spread of infection in busy clinical areas is a daily challenge.
"This is a very unusual situation here in ward 11 and, because this is a vulnerable patient group we are dealing with, we felt it was necessary to take the unusual step of limiting admissions to allow us to control the situation."
One-Minute World News 
News services
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
