MRSA policy in the Netherlands

MRSA is the abbreviation for Meticillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), a bacterium that has become resistant to the commonly used antibiotics. Healthy people can carry MRSA but rarely become ill from it. Just like the non-resistant S. Aureus, an MRSA bacterium can cause infections in the blood, heart and bones of people with reduced immunity or during the use of drips and catheters. Research indicates that MRSA infections lead to excess mortality.

Committee

• Professor JE Degener, chairman
  professor of medical microbiology; Groningen University Medical Centre
• MAJ Bilkert-Mooiman, adviser
  hygiene inspector; Health Care Inspectorate, The Hague
• Professor PJ van den Broek
  professor of infectious diseases; Leiden University Medical Centre
• Professor HJM Cools
  professor of nursing home care; Leiden University Medical Centre
• Professor HJ Grundmann
  medical microbiologist/infectious disease epidemiologist; National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, and Groningen University Medical Centre
• PBG ten Ham
  physician specialising in infectious disease control; Central Holland Municipal Health Service, Gouda
• Professor JAJW Kluytmans
  professor of hospital infection epidemiology; VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam
• Dr M Koopmanschap
  health economist; Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam
• R Simons
  nursing manager; Amsterdam University Medical Centre
• Professor CMJE Vandenbroucke-Grauls
  professor of medical microbiology; Amsterdam University Medical Centre and VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam
• Professor HA Verbrugh
  professor of medical microbiology; Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam
• Dr PMM Beemsterboer, secretary
  Health Council, The Hague