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"FREE" Articles (Local)
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| MRSA |
Ltobin writes, "What is MRSA and What can we Do?
Hospital Happenings, November 2007
We have all seen and heard a lot about MRSA infections in the newspapers and on television lately. The information can be quite confusing and cause undo concern if it is not completely understood. I hope to give you some easy to understand "
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information that will help you appreciate and be aware of these types of infections.
Some germs that commonly live on the skin and in the nose are called staphylococcus or “staph” bacteria. About one third of the population has these bacteria on them, but they aren’t sick. However, sometimes these germs get inside the body through a break in the skin and cause an infection and these infections can usually be treated with antibiotics. In some instances, common antibiotics don’t kill the staph bacteria, which means the bacteria have become resistant to those antibiotics commonly used to treat it. Dubbed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), it is one of the first germs to outsmart all but the most powerful drugs.
MRSA was first identified in the 1960’s and was mainly found in hospitals and nursing homes. This occurred because antibiotics were being given to people when they weren’t needed, and because patients were not taking antibiotics as directed. In the 1990s, a type of MRSA began showing up in the wider community and is responsible for many serious skin and soft tissue infections. Staph infections, including MRSA, generally start as small red bumps that resemble pimples, boils or spider bites. They can quickly turn into deep, painful abscesses that require surgical draining.
It is important to note that MRSA staph “bugs” are not any more aggressive or invasive than regular staph “bugs.” The only difference is that they are resistant to some antibiotics and need to be treated with different drugs. They are not “Super Bugs” because they cause more damage or disease, but only because we have to use stronger medicines to treat them.
The best thing you can do to decrease your chances of getting MRSA is to cleanse your hands often. Soap and warm water work great and when that is not available, you can sanitize your hands with an alcohol-based hand gel. It’s important to keep an eye on any sores you have on your body and contact your health care provider immediately if you see signs of infection, such as redness, swelling, pain, or pus. Do not share towels, razors, toothbrushes or other personal items and take good care of your skin.
The physicians and staff at MMH continually receive education and updates about staph infections, MRSA, and how to prevent the spread of all infections. The overall infection rate for patients at MMH is 1 to 1.5%. This is a very low rate of infection acquisition even for a rural hospital. Most infection control literature you read, including that from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), says that the commonly reported infection rate for a hospital is between 5% and 6%. Rural hospitals typically show 3% - 4% rates while some large teaching hospitals have much higher rates because they typically care for very complex and complicated patients. In the past two years MMH has seen a slight increase of people in our community who have staph infections, but we have seen a larger increase of people who have MRSA.
MRSA is not a new problem; however, it is becoming a bigger issue than it was in the past. It is definitely not something to panic about but you do need to be aware of how to prevent yourself from getting an infection and how to keep from spreading it. If you have questions, check out our website at www.MontroseHospital.com.
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Posted on Nov 07, 2007 09:19am.
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