Patient CPE toolkit

This patient CPE toolkit contains a number of fact sheets for patients, their families and staff who are supporting patients with CPE or CPE contacts.  

CPE is the newest in a long line of what people sometimes call 'superbugs'.  

When we talk about superbugs we mean bacteria that are hard to kill with antibiotics. Of all the superbugs we have had so far CPE is the hardest to kill with antibiotics.

We think the number of people who carry CPE in Ireland is still fairly small (probably hundreds of people). This means that if we take very good care of people who carry CPE over the next couple of years there is still time to stop CPE becoming very common.  If you would like more information on CPE, CPE contact or managing CPE when you are at home please scroll down to the fact sheets at the end of this page.

In October 2017, the Minister for Health declared a public health emergency in relation to CPE and established the national public health emergency team NPHET to oversee the management of the issue. Read the minutes, press releases and reports.

Guidance for hospital and community healthcare settings is also available in the other CPE toolkits for acute services, community/residential services and GPs.