VRE (Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus) - Reporting

What are hospital acquired infections? 
Sometimes when patients are admitted to a hospital, they get infections. These are called hospital acquired 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 hospital acquired 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. 
  
What precautions are used to prevent VRE in the hospital? 
Safety is one of Ontario Shores' core values, and we have implemented a number of initiatives to enhance the safety for our patients, staff and the community. 

Our Infection Prevention and Control department has provided hand hygiene and core competencies training to staff and patients. They conduct a daily review of all patients and have launched the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s “Just Clean your Hands” campaign. 
  
In the event there is a hospital acquired infection, staff are trained to watch for symptoms and implement proper protocols when treating the patient.

VRE Infection Rates

Newly diagnosed health care associated VRE bacteremia (bloodstream infection) rate per 1000 patient days. 
 

 See reporting at the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.