Abu Dhabi, UAE: Antibiotic resistance in the emirate and the spread of multidrug-resistant organisms has reached “very concerning high level”, according to the preliminary results of the Surveillance Programme for Antimicrobial Resistance.
The survey, which was carried out by the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (HAAD) in partnership with Seha and the UAE University starting 2010 has covered 19,119 patients from 61 public healthcare facilities including Seha’s seven hospitals.
These represent 66 per cent of bed capacity and 73 per cent of clinical encounters in the emirate. Around 48,906 bacterial and fungal isolates were studied, the highest data ever studied within a year and in one emirate, according to Dr Jens Thomsen, head of Occupational and Environmental Heath at the Health Promotion and Surveillance Department at the HAAD. Scientific literature on microbial resistance in the GCC for the past 21 years included only 37,295 isolates.
“The reason why we develop the system is that the antimicrobial resistance is increasing on a global level, not just a local problem,” Dr Thomsen told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Medical Congress (ADMC) on Sunday where he presented the surveillance findings.
Citing an example, he said the 2003 data from one hospital in Abu Dhabi showed that the rate of hospital-acquired infection Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was around five per cent. This increased to 12.5 per cent in 2008. “Now that we have all data, the average MRSA rate from all public healthcare facilities in the emirate for 2011 is 34 per cent… This is a huge increase,” he said.
“But also what is very concerning is that we see high rate of multi-drug resistance, which means not only single individual resistance to single antibiotics but also simultaneous in parallel resistance of a certain pathogen to several classes of antimicrobials,” he added.
“We found eight isolates that are resistant to 10 classes of antibiotic simultaneously.”
An example is pseudomonas aerigunosa, a common opportunistic pathogen of immuno-compromised individuals that typically infects the pulmonary and urinary tracts, wounds and soft tissues. “We see a high rate of multiple resistance in this pathogen; actually 64.8 per cent are resistant to two or more classes of antimicrobials,” said Dr Thomsen, who led the survey. Antimicrobials come in different classes.
Noting the importance of reliable data on antimicrobial resistance, Dr Thomsen said the aim of the survey was to establish the baseline, “we know where we are compared to other countries and also in future we can monitor trends. And, of course, use the data to design and develop appropriate strategies and activities to combat the further spread and development of antimicrobial resistance.”
According to Sebastian Amyes, microbiologist from the University of Edinburgh, UK, cross-infection is a problem in hospitals.
“Many multidrug-resistant strains, they spread from one patient to another (because) we take our patient on a tour,” he said, noting the pathway taken by patients at hospitals include the emergency, surgery, intensive care, recovery ward to the convalescent ward. “Each time, the organism is spread elsewhere and patients also acquire the resistant organisms from other people,” he added. The report will be made public in the first quarter of next year. Phase 2 will include private hospitals and laboratories. -olivia@khaleejtimes.com
Only referrals at SKMC, Tawam
Healthcare spending by the government sector in the emirate in 2012 has reached Dh10 billion, stated Zaid Al Siksek, CEO of the Health Authority – Abu Dhabi (HAAD).
Speaking during the opening of the Abu Dhabi Medical Congress (ADMC) on Sunday, Al Siksek cited some of the major changes in the sector this year, including the new referral system for Daman’s white card (basic) insurance holders.
The 1.3 million basic plan members will now have to go to primary care centres or Seha’s Ambulatory Healthcare Services (AHS) clinics to receive treatment. With the new system, only those requiring further treatment can be referred to the Shaikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) and Tawam Hospital in Al Ain. In July 15 this year, Daman notified its members of the changes and noted that all Abu Dhabi basic plan members will only have access to SKMC and Tawam Hospital in case of emergency and life-threatening injuries.
© Khaleej Times
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