A new study has revealed that Malta has one of the worst MRSA infection rates in Europe.

Despite claims that Malta is winning the fight against the killer superbug, only two out of the 32 European nations surveyed recorded more cases of MRSA last year.

MRSA, or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, is responsible for 50 per cent of all infections on hospital wards, rising to 65 per cent of infections caught in the intensive care unit.

Only Cyprus and Romania have higher infection rates, says the annual report by the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System. Portugal and Britain have a slightly lower rate.

In Germany and France, rates are about half of those in Britain, while in Holland, Denmark, Norway and Finland, fewer than ten per cent of hospital infections are caused by MRSA.

MRSA, the most dangerous hospital-acquired bacterium, is resistant to most antibiotics and enters the skin through open wounds to cause potentially fatal blood poisoning and other diseases.