Far more could be done to stop the deadly bacteria C. diff

Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, is a potentially fatal infection that ravages the intestines. The bacteria preys on people in hospitals, nursing homes and other medical facilities. A USA TODAY investigation showed that C. diff is far more prevalent than federal reports suggest. The bacteria is linked in hospital records to more than 30,000 deaths a year in the US- about twice federal estimates and rivaling the 32,000 killed in traffic accidents. The disease strikes about a half-million Americans a year. Yet despite a decade of rising C. diff rates, health care providers and government agencies have been slow to adopt strategies to reduce the infections, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and illnesses that could have been prevented, according to the investigation.