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MRSA Kills So. Cal. High School Wrestler

A 17-year old high school student, who had just returned from a wrestling camp, died from complications caused by MRSA on July 20, 2008. Noah Armendariz of Downey, California developed a skin rash and suffered from flu-like symptoms after returning from the camp. Progressively getting sicker, he was admitted to the Children's Hospital of Orange County, but Armendariz could not recover. The infection was too strong. A teammate who did not attend the camp tested positive for staph a week after Armendariz became ill but the teammate's condition is not serious. To read more, click here.

ABC News Tells Story of Moderator of MRSA Resources Website

43-year old Peg McQueary was enjoying life with her family in Roseville, California and showing her prized Bernese mountain dogs. But she nicked her leg while shaving and two weeks later found herself suffering from a leg infection, fever, nausea, and extreme fatigue. She had contracted a superbug called MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureas) that day and is still battling that enemy three years later as recurrent boils and sores refuse to heal. There's a war between bugs and drugs, and the bugs are winning," said McQueary. Despite all the different antibiotics and precautions she takes, the infection keeps coming back. Before the infection took over her life, McQueary and her husband used to make their living showing their prized Bernese mountain dogs. With the constant pain and therapy she can't do that anymore.

McQueary recommends that people who believe they show signs of the infection should insist on a culture for MRSA. It's a sad but true statement that you have to be your own health advocate. Many doctors and ER staff do not recognize the symptoms of MRSA (which, in this day and age, is unbelievable). In order to educate the public and help them become their own health advocates, McQueary is a moderator of a MRSA Forum on MRSAResources.com. To read more about McQueary's story, please visit ABC News' website here and to access the MRSA Resources website, please click here.

Improper Use of Disinfectant Wipes May Increase Spread of MRSA

A British study found that improper use of disinfectant wipes may actually spread MRSA and other antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Although counterintuitive to the intent of using a disinfectant wipe, the study found that when health care workers clean surfaces in hospitals, they often use one antimicrobial wipe to clean a number of different surfaces. This can lead to the cross transfer of dangerous germs from one surface to the other. The findings, from a study of two intensive care units in Wales, suggest that the most effective way to prevent the risk of spreading MRSA in hospital wards is to ensure that the wipe is used only once on one surface. To read more, click here.

Lawsuits Filed Over MRSA Infections

On May 21, 2008, Matthew Wisecarver, a former King County Jail inmate, filed a class-action lawsuit claiming that jail officials violated inmates' constitutional rights when they failed to stop the spread of the highly infectious disease known as MRSA. During a 5-month period, at least 65 inmates were diagnosed with MRSA and one inmate died while in custody. Wisecarver suffered serious injuries when surgeons were forced to dig into his hand to remove a MRSA infection he reportedly contracted in jail. To read more about this litigation, click here.

Similar MRSA lawsuits have been filed across the country. For example, a class-action lawsuit over prison conditions and an outbreak of MRSA infection at Bucks County's jail in Pennsylvania has finally been settled after more than 5 years. A federal judge approved a long list of measures that have already been, or will be, implemented at the Bucks County Correctional Facility to stem the spread of MRSA in its jails. Under the terms of the settlement, Bucks County will pay $60,000.00. To read more, click here.

Lawsuit Filed Over MRSA Infection

A King County, Washington jail inmate has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit as a result of contracting MRSA while behind bars. MRSA rates are rising in jail and prison settings due to poor hygiene practices. Matthew Wisecarter, 41, is seeking to have the lawsuit certified as a class action suit. Even Department of Justice officials admit that sanitary conditions are lacking in the jail, concluding that inmate health care falls "below the constitutionally required standards." To read more about this MRSA lawsuit, click here.

Health Officials Warn that NAP1 is Next Deadly Bacteria Threat

NAP1, a deadly strain of Clostridium difficile or 'C. diff', is the next deadly bacteria threat that has health officials worried. Much like staph infections, C. diff has been common in health care facilities, but in recent years, a growing number of people have been stricken by an especially virulent form of C. diff, known as the 'NAP1' strain. NAP1 causes illnesses ranging from simple diarrhea to blood poisoning - and death. Much like MRSA, NAP1 has developed a resistance to antibiotics and is now affecting young, otherwise healthy individuals. As with MRSA, doctors must resort to vancomycin, the last line of antibiotic defense. Infection rates more than doubled since the year 2000 and in February 2007, 23 states reported that they had witnessed the NAP1 strain but by November of 2007, that number grew to 38 states. Doctors are clearly alarmed at how quickly this toxic strain has taken hold in this country. One health official said, "Here's the problem with these bad bugs: They're very hard to stop when they get inside the body. The only defense we have is prevention." To read more about this deadly infection, please click here. To read a related article, please click here.

Cameron Diaz's Father Dies From MRSA

Cameron Diaz's father, Emilio, passed away on April 15 from post-influenza MRSA pneumonia, an aggressive form of staph infection that is resistant to antibiotics and can occur in all ages and in otherwise healthy people. To read more, please click here.