Healthcare costs linked to bacteria in water systems are rising, according to an article on the Infection Control Today website.
Between 1991 and 2006, more than 617,000 hospitalizations related to three common plumbing pathogens resulted in around $9 billion in Medicare payments.
The costs may now exceed $2 billion for 80,000 cases per year, according to a recent study.
Antibiotic resistance was present in between one and two percent of hospitalizations and increased the cost per case by between 10 percent to 40 percent.
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