The deadly superbug outbreak that killed two people and exposed more than 180 to infection in a Los Angeles hospital could happen anywhere and is likely to recur, a top expert tells Newsmax Health.

“This outbreak is not the first, it has occurred elsewhere, and it will happen again,” said Betsy McCaughey, Ph.D., who chairs the Committee to Reduce Infectious Deaths, a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating hospital infections.  “Patients need to protect themselves.”

The outbreak of antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as CRE swept through Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where two of seven patients infected with the infection have died and many others were exposed.

Although hospital infections such as MRSA and C.diff are major problems in U.S. Hospitals, CRE is especially “horrifying,” said McCaughey

“With other types of hospital infections you have a chance of surviving, but if you get CRE, it’s often curtains,” noted McCaughey. Indeed, mortality rates cited in studies of the CRE top 50 percent.  

Since 2012, there have been about a half-dozen outbreaks of CRE in the U.S. affecting up to 150 patients in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and, most recently, in Seattle, experts say. CRE has been termed a “nightmare” bacterium by the Centers for Disease Control.

In the case of the UCLA Medical Center outbreak, CRE was spread through endoscopes, which are threaded down a patient’s throat to allow doctors to look for gallstones and deal with other digestive issues. The endoscopes were contaminated with CRE and found to have been inadequately cleaned between patient uses. However, the germ can survive on a variety of surfaces.

According to McCaughey, CRE was first detected in hospitals in 1999 and was allowed to spread slowly across the U.S. thanks to lax practices by the Centers for Disease Control, which failed to eliminate the infectious bacteria by taking early action.

The CDC, she claims, caved to pressure from hospitals that didn’t want bad publicity about such infections. “They didn’t want to tell anyone and risk losing patients,” she said.

Here are McCauley’s six top ways to protect yourself or a loved one in the hospital:

1. Do your homework.
   
   If you know you will be going into the hospital, ask your doctor if the facility has had CRE. This is not always easy information to obtain because very few states require it to be reported. However, doctors know about hospital-spread infections at local facilities.
2. Insist on handwashing.
   
   While you’re in the hospital, make sure that hospital staff, caregivers, and even your family clean their hands in front of you before touching you or the surfaces in your room. Don't be falsely assured by gloves. If caregivers have put on gloves without cleaning their hands first, the gloves may be contaminated.
3. Beware of stethoscopes.
   
   Before your doctor uses a stethoscope, ask that the diaphragm (the flat surface) be wiped with alcohol. Stethoscopes are often contaminated because caregivers seldom take the time to clean them between patient uses.
4. Take antibacterial showers.
   
   If you are going to the hospital for elective surgery, start showering or bathing daily with chlorhexidine soap three to five days before. This will help remove dangerous bacteria you may be carrying on your own skin. Also, don’t shave right before entering the hospital. Small skin nicks can allow bacteria to enter.
5. Watch what you eat.
   
   CRE is not the only hospital infection you need to worry about. C. diff is the most prevalent hospital transmitted infection. It is often contracted from contaminated food on meal trays. Don’t put hospital food on any surface except a clean plate on which it was delivered.
6. Forget the flowers.
   
   If you are going to visit a patient in the hospital, forget the flowers and do your loved one a favor by bringing a canister of disinfectant wipes. Wipe down the bedrails, the over-the-bed table, the TV clicker, door knobs, the call button, and any other frequently touched surfaces.