'Virulent' bug hits two hospitals

Aberdeen Royal Infirmary is one of the hospitals affected

Nine patients at two Scottish hospitals have been affected by the clostridium difficile (C. diff) infection.

Four patients were affected at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and five at Stobhill Hospital in Glasgow.

Health Protection Scotland said both clusters involved the virulent 027 strain of the infection but were unrelated to each other.

Two of the nine patients have now died. C. diff was said to be a contributory factor but not the main cause of death.

All the affected patients in Aberdeen are being cared for in isolation and one of the Glasgow patients has now fully recovered.

Strict infection control procedures are in place at both hospitals.

Anne Eastaway, consultant microbiologist at Health Protection Scotland, said: "These two clusters are unrelated and we are in regular contact with the infection control teams at both NHS Grampian and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

"We have previously seen a small number of isolated cases of this strain in Scotland."