On Friday, October 19, 2007, HealthDay News reported that MRSA infections are approaching epidemic levels in some parts of the United States. MRSA infections, which are potentially deadly, are now responsible for an estimated 12 million outpatient visits each year for skin infections, said Jeff Hageman, of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is a definite increase in the number of infections and there is also a greater awareness of the problem.
"MRSA is epidemic in some regions of the country," he said. "The highest rates are in the southern parts of the U.S., including Atlanta, Los Angeles and Texas. We first began noticing MRSA in 1999 when there were four child deaths in Minnesota and North Dakota."
While most staph and MRSA infections are manageable and go away without major medical treatment, some infections progress into a life-threatening situation. MRSA, more common in a hospital environment, is also spreading into the community, as evidenced by the recent deaths of school children in Virginia, New Hampshire and Mississippi and recent infections of six N. Carolina high school football players, seven students in West Virginia and two teens in Connecticut.
HealthDay reported that Dr. Pascal James Imperato, chairman of the department of preventive medicine and community health at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in New York City, said there's an increase in the number of community-acquired MRSA cases "...because of changes that have occurred in MRSA in the community where, at the biological level, the organism had mutated and can cause serious illness, whereas before it didn't."
The news story goes on to state that many people carry the MRSA bacteria on their skin and do not get sick or cause others to get ill as a result. MRSA has only recently grown into a problem due to the increased use of antibiotics, which has caused the bacteria to mutate into a drug-resistant form. Now MRSA infections are treated with newer antibiotics, but this does not guard against the fact that the bacteria will morph again and potentially become resistant to the newer antibiotics.
Athletes are especially vulnerable to MRSA infections due to the fact that abrasions, cuts and contusions are more common in sports. The bacteria can get inside the body through these portals of entry. Even sweating facilitates penetration by the bacteria into the body. Also, athletes wear equipment on which MRSA can survive. To prevent this form of transmission, Dr. Imperato advises that sports equipment should be sterilized on a regular basis.
"MRSA is epidemic in some regions of the country," he said. "The highest rates are in the southern parts of the U.S., including Atlanta, Los Angeles and Texas. We first began noticing MRSA in 1999 when there were four child deaths in Minnesota and North Dakota."
While most staph and MRSA infections are manageable and go away without major medical treatment, some infections progress into a life-threatening situation. MRSA, more common in a hospital environment, is also spreading into the community, as evidenced by the recent deaths of school children in Virginia, New Hampshire and Mississippi and recent infections of six N. Carolina high school football players, seven students in West Virginia and two teens in Connecticut.
HealthDay reported that Dr. Pascal James Imperato, chairman of the department of preventive medicine and community health at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in New York City, said there's an increase in the number of community-acquired MRSA cases "...because of changes that have occurred in MRSA in the community where, at the biological level, the organism had mutated and can cause serious illness, whereas before it didn't."
The news story goes on to state that many people carry the MRSA bacteria on their skin and do not get sick or cause others to get ill as a result. MRSA has only recently grown into a problem due to the increased use of antibiotics, which has caused the bacteria to mutate into a drug-resistant form. Now MRSA infections are treated with newer antibiotics, but this does not guard against the fact that the bacteria will morph again and potentially become resistant to the newer antibiotics.
Athletes are especially vulnerable to MRSA infections due to the fact that abrasions, cuts and contusions are more common in sports. The bacteria can get inside the body through these portals of entry. Even sweating facilitates penetration by the bacteria into the body. Also, athletes wear equipment on which MRSA can survive. To prevent this form of transmission, Dr. Imperato advises that sports equipment should be sterilized on a regular basis.
posted by Super Clean Gear at 12:17 PM
