The number of cases of the superbug MRSA in public hospitals is decreasing, according to the latest data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre.
Last year, 419 cases of MRSA blood stream infections were reported by acute public hospitals, compared to 526 the previous year.
The number of cases seen in the first quarter of this year was 100, down by 38 cases compared with the same period last year.
The figures show that the hospitals with the largest number of MRSA cases last year were; University College Hospital Galway and Merlin Park in Galway with 47 combined cases and in Dublin, Beaumont Hospital with 45 cases, Mater Hospital 34 cases, St James's Hospital 31 cases and St Vincent's Hospital 28 cases.
However, the report cautions against direct comparisons between hospitals because of the differences in hospital activity, patient populations and other variables.
The number of MRSA blood stream cases has decreased since 2006.
The HPSC says that the percentage of MRSA cases observed here is high and compares with Britain and southern European countries. The lowest levels are still seen in the Netherlands and Nordic countries.
