Prevalence of Vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus among patients admitted at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Hawassa City, Sidama, Ethiopia: Retrospective study

Antibiotic resistant forms of Staphylococcus aureus have grown in frequency overtime raising serious concerns in hospital environments. Vancomycin, a glycopeptide antibiotic, isa last resort for severe methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections. Its rising use amongchronically and critically ill patients is linked to the increasing frequency of MRSA. This trend hascontributed to the emergence of vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA). According to the WorldHealth Organization (WHO), S. aureus pathogenicity and resistance patterns represent a majorglobal health risk. To date, there has been limited investigation of the frequency and distributionof VRSA in clinical isolates in Ethiopia, especially in the region covered by this study. Therefore,this study aims to determine the prevalence of VRSA in clinical isolates over the year 2019 to2023 in Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (HUCSH), Hawassa City,Sidama, Ethiopia.