The MRSA superbug is beginning to spread among healthy people in Britain as well as hospital patients, Britain’s Health Protection Agency said on Thursday.

In a statement, the agency said around 100 people have community-acquired MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and one person has died in the past three years.

Community-acquired MRSA occurs in healthy people who would not normally be expected to develop this infection.

Community-acquired MRSA is more sensitive to antibiotic treatment and there is a wider choice of antibiotic treatment options compared with hospital-acquired MRSA.

“Most of the UK cases identified so far have been seen in injecting drug users, but in other countries risk factors have included” frequenting gay massage parlours and participating in close-contact sports, such as rugby or wrestling, according to the agency.

“In these situations, skin abrasions are common, making the individual more prone to contracting C-MRSA. Other risk groups in the US have included people who have stayed in jails and there have been infections described in children.”

“Simple preventative measures, such as good hand hygiene, applying antiseptics and covering cuts and abrasions with plasters, are the most effective ways of preventing the spread of any organism causing skin infections.”

The agency stressed that the risk of contracting this type of MRSA in the community “remains extremely small.”