Mandatory reporting and public sharing of information would likely lead to improved health care practices and save lives
Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) is common, and it causes serious morbidity and mortality. In Australia, it is estimated that there are over 6000 episodes per year, most of which are health care-associated.1 SAB is also a major problem internationally, and this problem is compounded by antibiotic resistance. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections are common in most countries, and MRSA bacteraemia has reached epidemic proportions in some areas of the United States.2,3
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Peter Collignon has received federal government funding for travel and accommodation to meet with the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, and is Director of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at Canberra Hospital, which was one of the participating sites in the study by Turnidge and colleagues.4