Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Control in Hospitals: The Dutch Experience

The Netherlands is one of the few countries where methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) still is uncommon. In 1988, the Werkgroep Infectie Preventie (Working Party on Infection Prevention) issued guidelines on the control of MRSA that could be applied nationwide. The mainstay of the guideline is that all patients who carry MRSA are strictly isolated in single rooms. In 1989, a surveillance study was started by the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment. This study showed that approximately 200 new cases of MRSA colonization or infection occur each year. Small outbreaks of MRSA occur occasionally in The Netherlands, but the surveillance data confirm the success of the Dutch policy.