Two deaths linked to C. Diff bug

Two more deaths have been linked to the hospital bug Clostridium difficile in hospitals in the Northern Trust area.

It brings the provisional total for the number whose deaths have been linked to C. difficile to 48.

There has been an intensive cleaning regime in operation in all nine hospitals within the Northern Trust area.

C. difficile is a bacterium found in the gut of up to 3% of healthy adults and 66% of infants.

The elderly are most at risk, with over 80% of cases reported in the over 65-age group.

Patients with weakened immune systems or those who have had repeated enemas or gut surgery are also at increased risk.