Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am in receipt of a return to written question from the Honourable Glen Abernethy, Minister of Health and Social Services, asked by Mr. Dolynny on February 24, 2014, regarding the prevalence of “superbug” bacterial infections.
Rates are reported for cases of antibiotic resistant organisms (AROs) for the entire NWT population (per population) and not limited to hospitalized patients. Due to small figures, rates are reported per 1,000 population as the denominator rather than 10,000 population. Additionally, a regional breakdown of the number of cases is provided only for MRSA. This is because the incidence of the other AROs was too low for the rates to be presented per authority.
Note that there have not been any reported cases of Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, Acinetobacter, or Pseudomonas for the years in question. It should also be noted that Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase are primarily E. coli organisms but also include selected Klebsiella and Enterobacter species.
Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table a document titled “Prevalence of Superbug Bacterial Infections” outlining the total number of cases per 1,000 patients for AROs from 2005-2013 and the regional breakdown for the number of cases of MRSA per 1,000 patients from 2005-2013.
