Forbo-Nairn Hopes to Lead Fight Against MRSA Super

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Forbo-Nairn Hopes to Lead Fight Against MRSA Super
Kirkcaldy, Scotland, May 12--A Scottish flooring manufacturer that claims its product can help the NHS in Scotland combat the superbug MRSA has increased sales by over 13 per cent compared with last year, with the hospital sector now its fastest growing market, according to the Scotsman.com. MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, but is short for any strain of Staphylococcus bacteria which is resistant to one or more conventional antibiotics. Experts have so far uncovered 17 strains of MRSA, with differing degrees of immunity to the effects of various antibiotics. The number of MRSA deaths doubled in four years between 1999 and 2003, official statistics show Forbo-Nairn said research has indicated that MRSA and other harmful micro-organisms cannot live or breed on its Marmoleum flooring, its brand name for linoleum. The firm, which claims to be the oldest linoleum maker in the world and is still on the same site where its business started in 1847, has just won three new hospital contracts with Radcliffe, Blackburn and Ormskirk and Southport Hospitals. When Marmoleum products were used recently, Ormskirk and Southport hospitals recorded the lowest incidents of MRSA infection in the UK. Neil Aindow, facilities manager at Ormskirk and Southport said the flooring minimises the chances of MRSA spreading. He added: "There is no doubt about the qualities of Marmoleum as a weapon in the fight against MRSA and we are working closely with Forbo to investigate the wider use of Marmoleum in our hospitals." Forbo-Nairn managing director Derek Byrne said research by the Nutrition and Food Research Institute and North American Science Associates also indicated that its flooring was free of MRSA. "MRSA is now one of the most serious challenges facing the NHS throughout Scotland and the UK. We believe that we can play a real and vital role in partnership with the authorities, professionals and other suppliers in helping eradicate this superbug from our hospitals. "Our wholly natural product is perfect for hospitals where cleanliness is paramount." The firm is currently building a showroom at their Kirkcaldy plant which will showcase a hospital ward and a school classroom.