News

Infection caused by Multi-Resistant Organisms (MRO’s) refers to a group of bacteria that have become resistant to many antibiotics. This includes Carbapenemase Producing Organisms (CPO’s) which are resistant to our last line of defence antibiotics called carbapenems.

CPO are present in a number of health services across Victoria, both in metro and regional settings, and its prevalence is increasing across Australia. Recently, CPO was detected on two of our wards, at the Wodonga and Albury hospital campuses. This is a notifiable event, and our Infection Prevention team is actively working with the Victorian Department of Health and the Ovens Murray Public Health Unit, as is standard protocol.

About CPO

In most people, CPO are harmless and do not cause infection. However, in some people, such as those with a weakened immune system, it can become a serious problem. It may cause urinary tract infections, pneumonia, bladder or kidney infections, bloodstream infections, and many other types of infections.

CPO infections in Australia are usually associated with people who have had overseas hospital admissions or healthcare, particularly in parts of Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia.

What we’re doing

Processes for managing detections of MROs, including CPO, are well-established in Australia.

In accordance with best practice guidelines and in partnership with the Communicable Diseases Branch of the Victorian Department of Health, our teams are currently conducting contact tracing to determine which patients may have been in a shared space with the CPO detected patient.

If a patient is determined to be a close contact they will be:

• Screened for CPO if they are still in our care at Albury Wodonga Health.
• Contacted via phone and letter to request that they be screened for CPO via their local

Any patient identified as a close contact will be supported through this process by a member of our team to ensure appropriate follow up is accessed, if required.

In addition to contact tracing, our Environmental Teams will continue to conduct a high-level of cleaning across the health services, ensuring all surfaces are thoroughly disinfected.

What you can do

As always, good hand hygiene is critical, as MROs are transmitted through shared surfaces. Ensure that each time you visit a bathroom, you wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water, and if you are visiting a healthcare facility, you also utilise available hand sanitiser.

Importantly, if you are attending an emergency department or medical facility, we ask that you tell staff if you have had an admission to a metropolitan hospital in Australia, travelled overseas, or have been in an overseas health facility including an aged care facility.

If you are identified as a close contact, you will be contacted and provided with information about what this means for you, and you will be given written guidance on any screening or testing that may be required. 

Further information

To find out more about CPO and its transmission, please visit https://www.health.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-08/cpo-information-for-patients-and-their-visitors_0.docx

Alternatively, if you’d like to speak with someone, our team is contactable 9AM - 3PM Monday to Friday on (02) 6048 1000. 

Bern Squires, Director Infection Prevention and Surveillance

Dr. John Elcock, Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Anthony Zheng. Clinical Director, Ovens Murray Public Health Unit