Rate of infection by antibiotic-resistant bacteria steady
Battling the bug
You can protect yourself from MRSA by:
--Practicing good hygiene, keeping your hands clean by washing with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and showering immediately after participating in exercise.
--Covering abrasions or cuts with a clean, dry bandage until they heal.
--Avoid sharing personal items, such as towels and razors, that come into contact with your bare skin. Use a barrier, clothing or a towel, between your skin and shared equipment, such as weight-training benches.
--Maintain a clean environment by establishing cleaning procedures for frequently touched surfaces and surfaces that come into direct contact with people's skin.
Previous stories
DHEC publishes first report on hospital infections, published 02/02/08
Agency gives jail clean bill of health; Dorchester facility had 8 cases of skin disease, published 02/07/08
Patients can protect against MRSA, published 04/14/08
Hospital infection numbers released; Unconfirmed info called too raw for comparisons, published 08/06/08
The rate of methicillan-resistant staphylococcus, or MRSA, is holding steady in the Lowcountry, area health experts say.
While it's difficult to track the number of MRSA infections that occur outside of hospitals, experts say the rate has appeared to plateau, anecdotally at least, after an increase beginning about three years ago.
The types of patients developing MRSA, however, is becoming more varied, they said.
"It used to be in high school athletes, but it's working its way down to younger students," said Dale Haselden, infectious control practitioner for Trident Health Systems.
The nonprofit arm of Trident's parent company, HCA, launched a hand-washing awareness campaign aimed at elementary school students. Floppy-haired "Hannah Montana" star Mitchel Musso is teaching students how to stay clean and MRSA- free.
MRSA is a type of staph infection that is resistant to a certain family of antibiotics. The infections begin as a minor cut or sore that does not heal and may worsen rapidly into an abscess. The bacteria is transmitted by skin-to-skin contact or by touching
an item that has come into contact with someone's infection.
"In general, schools are not a risk for the average student," said Dr. Cassandra Salgado, hospital epidemiologist at the Medical University of South Carolina. Athletic environments — gyms, locker rooms and showers — are a risk setting, she said.
Elliot Smalley, executive director of communications for the Charleston County School District, said no cases have been reported so far this school year, although the district usually doesn't report individual cases, he said.
Staph infections, including the MRSA strain, are not reportable conditions to public health officials. Only clusters are tracked by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Last fall, a few area high school students were treated for MRSA, but the cases were not related and not reported to officials as a cluster. The last reported cluster in the region occurred in 2006.
Area physicians are seeing MRSA as an equal opportunity infection. Dr. Radwan Hallaba, co-owner of MedCare Express, said his offices in North Charleston and Mount Pleasant see about two cases each week.
"We've been seeing a ton of it since summer 2006," when the Mount Pleasant site opened, Hallaba said. Since then, "It's been a constant, steady stream. I initially saw (MRSA) in kids. Now we see it in infants and adults."
Most transmissions he sees are among members of the same household. "Once MRSA colonizes someone, there is the likelihood of colonizing everyone in the household," he said.
Dr. Robert Ball, an epidemiologist with DHEC, encourages physicians to culture most skin and soft tissue infections, especially boils, and begin antibiotic therapy as if MRSA was the cause.
"Doctors often drain boils without culturing, which this day and time may be incomplete," Ball said.
Reach Jill Coley at 937-5719 or jcoley@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
letstakeawalk (anonymous) says...
This should make some people very happy:
http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-s...
http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract....
September 3, 2008 at 1:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
olroofer (anonymous) says...
Sweet, medical marijuana {{IS}} the answer!
September 3, 2008 at 6:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
DanniD (anonymous) says...
too many people do not wash their hands. Nothing is more disgusting than seeing someone in a public restroom use the bathroom and then leave without washing their hands....ewwwwwwwwwwww.
September 3, 2008 at 6:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RTC (anonymous) says...
Could it be that the escalated use of antibacterial soap and hand sanitizers is part of the reason for the rise in MRSA? The article claims that it is on the rise in younger children, and what is on their school supply list? Hand sanitizers.
Plain old soap and water used to work just fine. A good many medical facilities are switching to antimicrobial soaps. Antibacterials kill all germs, including the good germs that help a body to build up a defense system.
In our high tech world to destroy all bacteria we seem to be building a new monster.
September 3, 2008 at 8:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
DanniD (anonymous) says...
Illegal aliens did not bring this to the US......improper handwashing, and sub-standard cleaning procedures brought this.
As for the hand sanitizer...I think that stuff is a waste of time. All you are doing is spreading the dirt or whaterver else you have on your hands around when you use that crap. You need to wash with soap and rinse with running water.
September 3, 2008 at 9:11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
martin (anonymous) says...
I had one major and several recurrent, much more minor,
MRSA infections last year. This led me to do a lot of internet research.
A lot of work has been done in Europe. There seems to be a connection between the use/overuse of antibiotics in food animals and the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Makes sense, doesn't it? We're eating low level of antibiotics all the time because of this.
It also can infect pets, colonise them and spread and re-spread to humans. Unclear if they get it from humans first.
Some doctors want to blame patients for making them prescribe antibiotics when they are not needed.
Beware. Don't think school athletic departments are handling this responsibly. Last year I was told of a private school that took several infected players to play football and didn't tell the opposing team until some of their members were infected. Gladiators and their coaches don't care who they spread it to.
September 3, 2008 at 9:49 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
armymom (anonymous) says...
Early, where do our hands not belong?!
You can pick this up from a doorknob or a grocery cart! Or a phone, or a keyboard, or the gas pump, or from books at the library, just pushing open the door at the Circle K.
People who have it that aren't being careful are spreading it without even realizing it.
September 3, 2008 at 11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blah_blah_blah (anonymous) says...
I have developed a theory called, "The Mexican Water Theory."
Why is it that when we go to Mexico, we can't drink the water, but the locals can?
It is because we have become germophobes and our bodies are too weak to handle anything new.
All the while, the anti-bacterial stuff, kills a majority of bacteria, the ones that it doesn't only come back stronger.
September 3, 2008 at 11:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eyfigueroa (anonymous) says...
My mother had a resistant pneumonia and needed IV infusion of a VERY strong antibiotic.
The doctor and insurance company chose to go with a IV infusion that could be done at home. In the office my mom was fitted with a cath port in her arm. she had to take a quick class in the cleaning and caring of it. She took home plastic bulbs of antibiotic and every 12 hours she hooked herself up to the bulbs and with the internal vacuum action of the medical equipment was able to self-infuse. A nurse stopped by every 3 days to check her port and get vitals. It took 10 days of use and she is now, for the moment, pneumonia free.
I did some research and found out why this was done. First reason(s)?
*MONEY - it costs less to self-infuse as opposed to her having to be in a hospital bed twice a day or in fact 24hrs/day for 10 days (which is how it is generally done). It's not only the meds that are expensive but the man-hours used to monitor her as well as the bed not being available to another patient.
*MRSA - the risk of her getting a peripheral infection is so high that IF she was able to get rid of this pneumonia, there wasn't a guarantee that she could stave off a secondary infection.
All in all it was not an all too terrible experience for her. She was able to sleep in her own bed, eat her own food and be surrounded by family. She is still on the road to recovery.
But this experience put into question 'what have we done as a society that has allowed such mega-bugs to become so prevalent'.
blah_blah, rtc and martin all brought up some very valid points. Our (American society) preoccupation with germs has forced us to use products that have in actuality contributed to an even greater problem.
Soap & Water = common sense
Who'd a thunk it?!!?!
September 3, 2008 at 12:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
suec (anonymous) says...
I agree with blah_blah. We are a country of germophobes.
September 3, 2008 at 2:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SCgal (anonymous) says...
It doesn't help when they have the school kids wiping off the lunch tables with a cold soapy towel as a "chore"!
In some states, that is a health dept violation!
As a past PTA in another state we set up Lysol Clean Up and provided Lysol wipes at each cafeteria table!
Each kid was responsible for throwing away their lunch/food, grabbing a Lysol wipe and wiping down their section of the lunch table vs. having a "kid" assigned to do the chore of wiping off a table where kids have coughed, spit, pulled out loose/teeth/blood, picked scabs, noses, etc!!
CCSD disgust me with no such plans!!
PTA also provided cans of Lyson for each teacher and every afternoon after the kids left- water fountains, desk, computer keyboards, bathrooms, handles, light switches were sprayed and left to dry overnight!!!
September 3, 2008 at 4:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
STREETLAW (anonymous) says...
blah, maybe it is because the Mexicans only drink Corona. Its one of the things that needs more research.
And another thing you never hear about is people in Hong Kong getting the Goose Creek flu. Why is that?
September 3, 2008 at 9:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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