HOSPITAL bosses in Southampton today denied they were losing the battle against the MRSA superbug after figures revealed a rise in the number of cases.

There were 34 MRSA infections at Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust between April and September last year - a rise on the previous six months, when a total of 31 cases were recorded.

The increase - which bucked a national downward trend - came despite a government campaign aimed at eradicating the potentially deadly bug.

However, today health chiefs insisted Southampton compared well to many other major teaching hospitals in the country.

Trust spokesman Peter Campion said: "Our MRSA bacteraemia (bloodstream) infection levels have averaged around 55 new cases in each of the past four years.

"Infection rates are generally higher in hospitals like ours that provide specialist care and treat very sick, high risk patients.

"That makes the challenge of reducing rates of infection greater for us than for other local hospitals."

Mr Campion said hospital staff would continue to focus on keeping hands, equipment and the environment as clean as possible.

Regular hygiene campaigns were also held to promote hospital cleanliness, he added.

The figures showed the number of MRSA cases at Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust had decreased from 11 cases to seven in the same period.

Dr Mathew Dryden, consultant microbiologist, said: "Patients often comment about our high standards of hygiene. Not only is the hospital clean but the staff keep their hands clean too."

Meanwhile Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Trust had just four cases in the period.