Superbug infects 13 hospitals

By Isaac Kim

The antibiotic resistant CRE bacteria was found in 13 hospitals across the nation.

Bacteria resistant to antibiotics have been found in over 10 hospitals across the nation.

As of now, there are over 60 people who have been infected with new super bacteria. Health officials have begun quarantine and prevention operations.

According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) on Aug. 4, KCDC and the Korea National Institute of Health (NIH) checked over 200 medical facilities in April for antibiotics resistant bacteria.

They found 23 patients to be infected with Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) at one hospital. CRE is a type of bacteria that exists within the human gut but is resistant to antibiotics.

Upon further examination, clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE), a form of CRE, was found which had never been reported in Korea. CPE can dissolve antibiotics and infect other strains, making it more dangerous than CRE.

The type of CPE found was OXA-232, which is extremely rare not just in Korea, but throughout the world. Recently, there have been cases in India and France.

After an investigation, the first carrier of the bacteria had been spreading in India but was injured. After three days, the patient was taken to a hospital here in Korea.

The patient then moved to a different hospital for further treatment. Three other patients contracted the OXA-232 bacteria in the first hospital the injured patient from India had visited.

Studies from Aug. 1-5 on the trails of patients infected with the bacteria show 13 hospitals and 63 patients have been infected.

“Even if CPE is no longer detected among patients, we plan to continuously monitor them,” said an official of the KCDC. “Only after three months will it be certain they are no longer infected.”