About 250 staff and doctors at Charlottetown's Queen Elizabeth Hospital are being tested for MRSA following more cases of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the hospital's nursery.

'We know that five cases are linked by strain, so there's a fairly strong indication that we are doing this to ourselves.'— Rick Adams, CEO, Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Three new cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus have been found in the last week, bringing the total number of babies testing positive this fall to nine.

With the infection apparently spreading, the province's acting chief health officer has issued a directive that all staff who have contact with the nursery be tested for MRSA.

"This is a directive at this point," said hospital CEO Rick Adams.

"The chief health officer advised that in future, after a reasonable amount of time has elapsed, then an order can be written. Then that is an order under the Public Health Act where an individual would have to comply. We don't think we'll have to go there, because at the end of the day this is about protecting our newborns."

Results will take a few days

The directive includes doctors, nurses, cleaners or anyone with any connection to the hospital's nursery. So far more than 115 health-care workers have been tested, and it will be few days before any results come back.

"We've embarked on this process because we've been unable to contain further transmission, said Adams.

"Right now we can't even say this is the cause. We know that five cases are linked by strain so there's a fairly strong indication that we are doing this to ourselves."

Adams acknowledged staff are worried about what testing positive could mean, but said the testing will be confidential and no one who tests positive will lose their job. Any staff or doctors who test positive will go through a lengthy decolonization process, which includes ointment in the nose, bathing with a special soap and changing sheets daily.

The QEH has been in a running battle with superbugs, both MRSA and vancomycin-resistant enterococci, for much of this year, although there had been few reports since the summer until the maternity ward infections were detected.

Acting chief health officer Dr. Lamont Sweet said healthy adults and babies do not usually become ill if found to be carrying MRSA.