The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has updated the Rapid risk assessment on Enterobactericeae that are increasingly resistant to carbapenem, a group of highly effective antibiotics that kill bacteria. This development poses a significant threat to patients and healthcare systems in EU countries. For the treatment of patients with CRE infections, few options are available according to Dominique Monnet, head of the Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections Program of the ECDC. Dissemination can be prevented by appropriate prevention and control measures in hospitals and other healthcare institutions. CRE infections lead to long-term stay in hospitals, high treatment costs and high mortality due to delays in administering effective treatment in combination with limited availability of treatment options.
The textiles that are used in health care environments including, for example, care hotels, are guaranteed free of Enterobactericeae if it is delivered to the institution and cleaned by a Certex®-certified company. One of the hard requirements within Certex® is that there is no “Entero” on or in the textile (0 KVE / cm2); a requirement that also applies to Staphylococcus aureus. This allows healthcare institutions to check off one critical checkpoint on their list…provided that textile management is carried out hygienically within the own walls.