Nearly 5 million people suffer from infections of various kinds during hospitalization each year, accounting for about 10 percent of the country's annual inpatients, a senior health official said yesterday.

It is the first time the figure has been released by the authorities.

Up to 10 billion yuan ($1.35 billion) - or an average of 2,000 yuan ($270) per person - is spent annually on covering the extra medical costs caused by hospital infections, medical experts estimate.

Of all infections reported through a national monitoring network, the notorious MRSA - or methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus - causes more than half of the total, Wang Yu, director of the medical administration department of the Ministry of Health, said at a signing ceremony to join a global campaign to provide clean healthcare.

The campaign was initiated by the World Alliance for Patient Safety (WAPS), which was launched by the World Health Organization in 2004.

Though most MRSA infections aren't serious, some can be life-threatening, experts say. Because it's hard to treat and also mutates, MRSA is sometimes called a "super bug".

MRSA has been linked to the deaths of 18,650 in the United States in 2005 and the figure is rising. The figure in China is not available.

Hospitals are in the frontline of healthcare, so infection control there is vital for safeguarding public health, Dr Liam Donaldson, director of the WAPS, said.

With China recognizing the gravity of the situation, more than 70 percent of people worldwide will be covered by the global campaign to tackle the challenge, he told China Daily.

Given that many hospital infections are largely avoidable by enforcing standards and eliminating bad practices, Vice-Minister of Health Huang Jiefu urged medical workers to strictly abide by hygiene rules.

In 2005, the ministry launched an annual check of major hospitals to improve patient safety and medical services.

(China Daily November 28, 2007)