The UL Hospitals Group has begun writing to over two thousand patients who shared a ward or clinical area with a patient who tested positive for the superbug CPE.
Most people in Ireland who carry CPE have picked it up in a hospital and for the vast majority it lies harmlessly in the gut and never causes any illness.
In August, the HSE announced that it was undertaking a national communications programme to write to patients who had been identified as being a CPE contact, based on recommendations from a National Expert Group.
Each hospital was asked to review files and compile a list of patients.
The UL Hospitals Group has now completed this and has begun writing to 2,160 patients, while their GPs and consultants will also be informed.
Anyone who shared a ward or clinical area with a patient who had a positive result for CPE has been designated a CPE contact.
There’s about a 1 in 20 chance that someone who’s designated a contact will become a carrier of CPE and a 1 in 400 chance that they might get a serious CPE infection at some point in the future.
CPE infection can be serious, but there are antibiotics that can be used to treat CPE infection.
A dedicated helpline is being provided to all CPE Contacts to answer any additional questions.
