How can we prevent the spread Hospital Seberang Jaya

of CRE? Infection Control Unit

Do I need to wash my clothes +6043827333 (Infection Control Unit
Wash your hands... separately? Extension 124)
When entering and leaving the
No special cleaning is required in your
patient's room.
Before and after touching other
home and clothing may be laundered in
patients or bedside items the usual manner, along with the rest of
After using the bathroom the household laundry, without any
Before and after touching your eyes, special detergent
nose, mouth/lips, genitals, wounds or
rashes, implants or tubings

STOP
After coughing or sneezing
If I go for my follow-ups, do I
need to show my CRE card to
the clinic staff?

What do caretakers of CRE
Carrier need to do at home?
People providing care for others with CRE
should always wash their hands before and
after touching the person or their bedside
items
CRE
If you go for your medical appointments,
or have home care services, you should
tell them that you have a CRE and show
them your CRE card.
This allows them to wear the
appropriate protective equipment when The power is in your hands
attending to you, but rest asured, this
does not affect the treatment you
will receive.

For example, wash hands before and after:

Bathing and changing their clothes/diapers
Touching their urine or feces
Touching their bedside equipment
Using the washroom

If the patient has a visiting nurse or is in a

nursing home, the patient should insist that
the care provider wear:
gloves and wash their hands before and
after handling any medical devices
(oxygen tubes, urinary tubes or dialysis
tubes)

What is CRE?
CRE or ‘Carbapenem Resistant
Enterobacteriaceae’ are bacteria
that already resistant to most powerful
antibiotics, and they cause severe
infection and death
How does CRE spread?
Most CRE infections happen in
healthcare settings like hospitals
and nursing homes.
CRE spreads when someone
touches a patient with CRE or a
CRE 'carrier' and does not wash
hands after that
Who is likely to catch CRE?
Elderly patients with weak
immune system
Using certain powerful antibiotic
for too long
Touching a CRE patient or
carrier and not washing
hands after that
ICU patients or those on
breathing support
Having foreign objects like
dialysis tubes, drip tubes and
urine tubes
How will I be tested for CRE?
Testing is by taking a rectal swab
A thin swabstick is placed inside
your rectum to obtain stool
The swabstick will be sent to the lab
If the result is negative for CRE, the
doctors may repeat another sample
- if both are negative, you can
be admitted to a normal ward
If I 'carry' CRE - must I be
treated?
'Carrier' means the bug lives on
your body but does not cause
problems
If a person is a carrier of CRE, they
do not need to be treated.
What will happen if CRE is
detected in my rectal swab?
If the result is positive, you will be
isolated in a single room or given a
corner bed
If there are no signs of infection and
you are just a 'CRE carrier', no
treatment is required but you will be
isolated until discharge
If I have CRE, will I receive
different treatment compared to
other patients?
You will be nursed in a separate
room
We will bathe you with a special soap
to kill CRE on your skin
Otherwise, treatment for your other
medical conditions is the same
You will also get a 'CRE card'
Can I have visitors if I
have CRE?
Visitors can visit you, however, to prevent
the spread of CRE to other patients, we
will:
Limit visitors to ONE per time (Visitors
should inform the nurse before
entering the room)
Remind all visitors to perform hand
hygiene upon entering and leaving
the patient's room/bedside
What is a CRE card?
It is a card we give to all
patients who have CRE
If you have a CRE card, what
will happen to you?
If you are re-admitted to hospital within 1
year of the first positive CRE test, you will be
nursed in an isolation room according to
hospital protocol
If you are readmitted 1 year after your
positive CRE test, we repeat a swab test.
If the repeated test is negative, the patient is
'off tagged' (i.e. CRE card is annulled).
If you still test positive on rectal swab,
you may be provided a life-long CRE
card.
There is no major impact on treatment
for your other health problems