Charity Event Raises £26,000 for HAI Research

Infection control specialists Tristel plc, recently sponsored a fundraising gala dinner and charity auction for the Centre for Healthcare Associated Infections (CHAI), in support of the fight against healthcare associated infections, (HAIs). Tristel made a considerable donation towards the total funds raised of £26,500, helping to make the evening a great success. The event, held at the end of September, was

organised by CHAI supporter Graziella Kontkowski, whose grandmother contracted C.diff and died after initially having been admitted to hospital for a urinary tract infection.

Speaking ahead of the spending review, Professor Richard James, Director of CHAI, said: “The support of fundraising events such as this is vital in providing us with a cash lifeline to underpin research, at a time when the future of funding from central government is uncertain; unlike other medical causes such as cancer, there is currently no national charity dedicated to raising money to fund research into these deadly bacteria.”

The talented charity auctioneer for the night was ITN’s Alastair Stewart OBE who said: “This is an enemy that does not stand still and does not rest on its laurels, with a death toll of 37,000 in the last 10 years.”

CHAI is aiming to raise £1.4 million to fund research into the clinical strains that cause serious infections such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Clostridium difficile and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a gram-negative bacterium which is particularly dangerous to those with weak immune systems, such as babies and young children.

Further donations can be made to CHAI at www.hcai.nottingham.ac.uk