VRE Bacteraemia rates for Regional Programs

VRE Bacteraemia rates for Provincial Forensic Programs

What are healthcare associated infections?

Sometimes when patients are admitted to a hospital, they get infections. These are called healthcare associated infections. In the case of VRE, this may mean that symptoms began 72 hours after admission to the hospital or the infection was present at the time of admission, but was related to a previous admission to the same hospital within the last four weeks.

What is VRE?

Enterococccus is a bacteria or germ that lives in most people’s bowels and helps to digest food. When enterococcus becomes resistant to an antibiotic known as Vancomycin it is called VRE or Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus. Vancomycin is commonly used to treat Enterococcus infections.

What are the symptoms of VRE?

There are no specific symptoms of VRE unless it is causing an infection. VRE causes infection when it is found outside of the bowel and in other body sites. Possible infections could be in blood, wound or urinary tract like the bladder. Signs and symptoms vary with the infection site and could include fever, chills, wounds not healing or increased redness and drainage or burning and frequent urination.

How do you get VRE?

VRE is, for the most part, a healthcare associated infection, and it is mainly people who are in hospitals, dialysis units or nursing homes who are exposed to VRE. It is spread by direct contact (person to person) or indirectly by contaminated equipment, environmental surfaces or the living space of a patient who has VRE.

How is VRE treated?

People with VRE in the bowel and who have no signs and symptoms of an infection do not need to be treated. However, if there are signs and symptoms of an infection, the treatment may include many other antibiotics for a prolonged period of time.