HUDDERSFIELD Royal Infirmary is celebrating being MRSA-free for a month.

Latest figures released by Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust show there were no cases of the deadly superbug at the Royal Infirmary or Calderdale Royal Hospital during September.

And only two patients suffered from the clostridium difficile infection.

The news comes as hospital infection rates across Yorkshire have been slashed by half this year.

But Huddersfield health chiefs vowed to continue their fight ahead of the difficult winter period.

David Birkenhead, the Trust’s director of infection prevention and control, said: “We have taken a whole range of measures in our battle to beat the bugs.

“It has truly been a team effort involving all our staff, our partners in primary care and the support of patients and visitors.

“The steps we have taken include regular checks to ensure our staff adhere to our hand hygiene policies and careful antibiotic prescribing as some antibiotics can be linked to increased risks of both MRSA and clostridium difficile.

“All patients who require surgery are now screened to check whether they have MRSA on their skin so they can be treated before surgery to reduce the risk of the infection entering the bloodstream.

“We have also invested heavily in improvements to some of our wards and clinical areas with ward refurbishments taking on board the latest infection control guidelines.”

His comments came as the Trust’s MRSA rates showed there were only seven cases between April and September this year, compared with 20 during the same period in 2007.

C-diff cases were also down by almost a third from 85 between April and September 2008 to just 64 for the same period this year.

The total number of MRSA cases in Yorkshire and the Humber also dropped by 48% this year from 100 between January and March to 52 between July and September.

Professor Sue Proctor, director of patient care and partnerships and chief nurse for NHS Yorkshire and the Humber said: “It is fantastic news that trusts across Yorkshire and the Humber are winning the battle against infection.

“Every member of staff has played their part in combating hospital acquired infection and they should be congratulated for that.

“We are also extremely grateful to patients and visitors for their vigilance which has also helped in the fight against MRSA and clostridium difficile.

“It is a priority and we are committed to making our hospitals a cleaner and safer place for everyone.