Public Health - In the News

MRSA

While the public spotlight on MRSA may seem sudden, the problem of these resistant strains of “super bugs” has been a growing problem in recent years, particularly for hospitals and health care facilities that have worked hard to keep infection rates low.

MRSA is a bacteria responsible for skin and soft tissue infections in humans. It is a variation of the common bacterium staph aureus, which has evolved the ability to survive treatment with certain types of antibiotics including methicillin and penicillin, which is where it derives its name. About 25 to 30 percent of all people have staph within the nose, but it normally does not cause an infection. In contrast, only about one percent of the population has MRSA.

Although reports stress that MRSA particularly affects patients in hospitals and healthcare facilities, the infection is not new and has been known to be present in the community for over four decades; children are just as likely to come in contact with the bacteria in other settings as they are at school.

In recent years, Sarasota Memorial’s monitoring program reveals that despite the challenges posed by these “super bugs,” the rate of hospital-acquired infections have remained low and flat. For every one hospital acquired infection, however, it’s important to note that we treat 12 community-acquired cases admitted to the hospital.

Sarasota Memorial and other hospitals across the country have taken steps to educate the community about the risks of bacteria like MRSA and the role everyone plays in stopping the spread of dangerous bacteria. Several years ago, Sarasota Memorial installed hand sanitizing foam dispensers across the hospital and launched a public awareness campaign to encourage hand washing. It is the single most effective measure an individual can take to prevent infection. Of course, the hospital takes many other measures to reduce infection rates, including following all Centers for Disease Control Infection Prevention & Control guidelines; aggressive cleaning of hospital surfaces, furniture and medical equipment; screening and early intervention programs to identify and treat high risk patients; and safety protocols to protect patients with MRSA and those they come into contact with.

With greater public awareness, health officials hope adults and children pay more attention to simple personal hygiene rules, like hand washing and disinfection of shared items, such as sports gear. A number of recent outbreaks were reported among student athletes.

What is a staph infection? What is MRSA?

Staph bacteria are one of the most common causes of skin infections in the United States. Most of these skin infections are minor (such as pimples and boils) and can be treated without antibiotics (also known as antimicrobials or antibacterials).

However, staph bacteria also can cause serious infections (such as surgical wound infections, bloodstream infections, and pneumonia). MRSA is just one staph bacterium that has become resistant to antibiotic treatment.

Who is at risk?

People who have weakened immune systems and are being treated in health care facilities, such as nursing homes, hospitals and dialysis centers, are at increased risk of contracting MRSA.

MRSA can also infect people in the community at large, generally as skin infections that may look like pimples or boils and can be swollen, painful and have draining pus. These skin infections often occur in otherwise healthy people.

Nationally, overall rates of infection are consistently highest among older persons (65 and older), African Americans and males.

What can I do to reduce my risk of infection?

MRSA is transmitted most frequently by direct skin-to-skin contact or direct contact with contaminated items, such as clothing or sporting equipment. You can protect yourself from infections by:

• Practicing good hygiene – for example, keeping your hands clean by washing vigorously with soap and water (at least 15 seconds in warm water) or using an alcohol-based hand rub and showering after working out)

• Covering any open skin area such as abrasions or cuts with a clean dry bandage

• Avoiding sharing personal items such as towels or razors

• Using a barrier (e.g., clothing or a towel) between your skin and shared equipment

• Wiping surfaces of equipment before and after use with a disinfectant

• Getting a flu shot (when a person’s immune system is weakened by flu, a staph infection can set in).

• Using antibiotics only for bacterial infections, not viruses such as cold or flu. The longer-term danger is that MRSA will mutate into an even more resistant form.

For more information on infection prevention techniques, visit the Centers for Disease Control website at www.cdc.gov or ask your physician.