Last year there were 500 cases of VRE in Scotland, which breaks down the body’s resistance to other bacteria and can lead to illnesses such as septicaemia and pneumonia, which can prove fatal.

A Scottish Executive spokesperson said VRE can cause wound infections, urine infections or blood poisoning, particularly in very debilitated patients.

A raft of new measures have been introduced by NHS Tayside to combat VRE and other hospital infections, and high-risk patients in Tayside are being screened for the bug.

“We recognise VRE is a serious problem and closely monitor any infection which is identified,” said NHS Tayside consultant microbiologist Dr Gillian Orange today.

“In Tayside, we have seen some cases of this infection, which usually affects very sick patients.

“We do screen patients for VRE if they fall into certain high-risk categories and we report all infections to the Scottish Microbiology Association’s surveillance unit and Health Protection Scotland.”

Last week NHS Tayside unveiled the Clean Hands Improve Patient Safety (CHIPS) campaign in a bid to stop the spread of hospital infections like VRE and MRSA.

“We have introduced a raft of measures to tackle healthcare associated infection in our hospitals,” Dr Orange continued.

“These include the introduction of ward housekeepers, staff being issued with hand-held anti-bacterial gel sprays and the training of ‘Cleanliness Champions’ throughout the organisation.

“The simplest and best way we have of preventing infections developing and then spreading is sticking very strictly to some simple basic hygiene measures. For example, making sure staff, patients and visitors clean their hands in the right way at the right times.”

Dr John Cowden, consultant in health protection for Health Protection Scotland which monitors the superbug, said the only way to treat VRE was to use more powerful antibiotics.

“VRE is spread from person to person,” he said. “Preventing it is an issue of good hygiene.

“It is more common where being resistant to vancomycin, the most common antibiotic, is an advantage — in a hospital.

“It can lead to serious illnesses in vulnerable people.

“VRE can only be treated by much more powerful antibiotics. It is hard to get rid of VRE once a patient is infected with it.”

An Executive spokes- person said a £15m campaign has been launched to counter the “emerging infection” and other hospital infections.

The spokesperson said, “As a recently emerging infection, the number of recorded cases will increase as more clinicians become aware of its importance. Increases in national totals are therefore not necessarily a reflection of an actual increase in cases.

“Much of the prevention of the spread of VRE infection in hospitals lies with application of standard precautions — particularly hand hygiene — and prudent use of antibiotics, just like MRSA.

“VRE is a well-recognised issue across the UK. It can potentially cause wound infections, urine infections, or blood poisoning, particularly in very debilitated patients. Each individual case is assessed to decide on the best antibiotic treatment for the infection.

“We have issued advice to visitors to provide them with commonsense steps to take to prevent infection. These include not sitting on a hospital bed when visiting a patient and washing your hands before you enter a ward and staying away from hospital if you are unwell.”

“We will continue to monitor the issue of VRE closely and will take actions as appropriate on the advice of Health Protection Scotland.”