One in 20 European patients catch an infection while in hospital.  The first study of infections acquired in hospitals in Europe has estimated that 2.5 million people caught one between 2011 and 2012 – that’s one in every 20 patients.

“The most common were urinary tract infections, surgical site infections and pneumonia, each accounting for 20 per cent of cases,” says Alessandro Cassini of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control in Solna, Sweden.

As well as causing an estimated 90,000 deaths, the infections also led to long-term conditions, including cognitive and physical impairment (PLoS Medicine, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002150) The total health impact of these infections is thought to be double the combined burden of 32 contagious conditions caught outside hospitals, including flu and tuberculosis.  (New Scientist).

What the author doesn’t explain is why this is happening in hospitals all over the world.  Is it bad hygiene, carelessness, open wards, sloppy cleaning, or just the presence of scores of sick people and is inevitable?  Whatever the causes, the need for Epicurean peace of mind dictates that one shouldn’t go into hospital unless you are hauled there by burly ambulance men, kicking and screaming.   Specialised  clinics and GP offices are probably o.k, but even if you don’t get an infection in hospital they ply you with narcotics that are the devil to stop taking.  The food is usually dreadful – and they wake you up at 5 a.m.  It is to be  avoided for the sake of peace of mind.