The number of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) cases at Mater Dei have been slashed down by 90 per cent, Health Minister Chris Fearne announced this afternoon.

Addressing journalists at the hospital’s Infection Control Unit, Mr Fearne said that instances of MRSA, often referred to as a ‘superbug’, went down from two cases per 1,000 bed nights to a mere 0.2 cases last year.

“Resistance to antibiotics is a worldwide problem and in the past 10 to 15 years this had led to a spike in MRSA cases.

“Through intense efforts at this hospital and on a national level, we are proud to say that we have cut down figures by 90 per cent,” Mr Fearne said.

MRSA infection is caused by bacteria that is resistant to many of the antibiotics used to treat ordinary infections and most cases of infection occur in people who have been in hospitals.

The minister said that several measures were implemented to achieve such figures, including stricter hand-washing procedures among staff, more awareness campaigns and an increase in screening of patients thought to have MRSA.