MRSA Making News
MRSA, a type of staph infection, made national news again two weeks ago, with federal health officials reporting its death toll in the U.S. has surpassed that of the AIDS virus.
MRSA, which stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a type of bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics, including methicillin, oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin, according to the CDC. The CDC estimates that 94,360 people developed a serious MRSA infection in 2005 and the super-bug killed approximately 18,650 of those people.
It used to be that staph infections, including MRSA, occurred mainly among people in hospitals and nursing homes who had weakened immune systems. But this has changed, with MRSA infections increasing at an alarming rate in the community at large.
While this news is disturbing, there are some simple prevention strategies to guard against spreading MRSA. The CDC lists handwashing with soap and water as it's No. 1 Standard Precaution.
This article--and scores of others from ADVANCE for Long-Term Care Management--have also recommended this strategy for infection control. It may take a few extra minutes, but the extra time can translate into saving extra lives.