Consumers Union Documents
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To Err is Human – To Delay is Deadly (May 1, 2009)
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State’s request for funding of plans to fight hospital acquired infections (August 5, 2009)
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Health and Human Services Grants for hospital infection prevention at surgical centers (August 5, 2009)
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Consumers Union Report: Cutting Surgical Infections (July 8, 2009)
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Consumers Union Letter in Support of National MRSA Bill (June 24, 2009)
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Consumers Union MRSA Policy Brief (June 24, 2009)
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State Hospital-acquired Infection and Medical Error Reports (June 8, 2009)
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Dangerous bacterial infections are on the rise (November 7, 2007)
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Drug-resistant bug (June 11, 2007)
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Drug-resistant staph infections (October 8, 2006)
Policy and Legislation
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Congressional Legislation 111th concerning hospital infections (June 24, 2009)
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MRSA screening bill pushed in Congress (June 24, 2009)
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State MRSA Laws (October 7, 2008)
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State Hospital-acquired infection public reporting and MRSA prevention bills under consideration in 2008 (February 27, 2008)
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Legislation, 110th Congress (November 26, 2007)
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State legislation on MRSA (September 19, 2007)
Consumers Union News Releases
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Minnesota Health Policy Committee to Hold Hearing on State’s Hospital Infection Reporting Law (August 7, 2009)
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New York report details hospital infection rates (June 30, 2009)
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MRSA screening bill pushed in Congress (June 24, 2009)
Blog Posts
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Dead by Mistake (August 13, 2009)
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In Honor of Patients (July 24, 2009)
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Patient Safety Activists Represent Consumers at Presidential Health Care Forum (July 8, 2009)
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Insight from California Safe Patient Network (June 12, 2009)
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Activists speak out at Presidential health care forum (April 10, 2009)
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Raise your hand if you’ve had a hospital-acquired infection (March 27, 2009)
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Drop in some MRSA infections in ICUs (February 20, 2009)
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Seattle PI: U.S. pigs and farmers carry MRSA but federal food safety agencies are doing little to see if the pork is safe (January 27, 2009)
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HHS releases plan to prevent health care-associated infections (January 8, 2009)
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20 Things You Didn’t Know About…Hygiene (January 5, 2009)
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MRSA series: Culture of Resistance (November 21, 2008)
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“I don’t want to die (in the hospital)” (November 17, 2008)
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SC activist Dianne Parker fights for safer care (October 3, 2008)
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The better half: California hospital infection reporting bills signed into law! (September 26, 2008)
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MRSA takes its toll on father and son (September 23, 2008)
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CA activist Carole Moss leads effort on hospital infection bills (September 12, 2008)
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Survivor turned movement leader: Meet Alicia (June 20, 2008)
News
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N.H. health costs merit investigation
Lori Nerbonne, co-founder of New Hampshire Patient Voices, writes: “New Hampshire government, consumers and employers could reap a windfall in savings if they formed a collaborative that focused on health care quality and costs in New Hampshire.”
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Editorial: Healthy hospitals: AnMed, Oconee keep infection to a minimum
SC state health department’s survey of infection rates shows scores of hospitals in the state.
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Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) Statistics
The Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) contains over four million reports of adverse events and reflects data from 1969 to the present. Data from AERS are presented here as summary statistics. These summary statistics cover data received over the last ten years.
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Dead By Mistake
Dead by mistake was researched and written by a team of journalists from across Hearst newspapers and television stations. Hearst describes medical errors as”a critical and neglected health care issue.” Consumers Union’s Safe Patient Project published a report on medical harm, “To Err is Human, To Delay is Deadly” in May, 2009
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Editorial: Why so many needless deaths?
“You can’t say we weren’t warned. And you can’t say we’ve done enough to address those warnings about the degree of avoidable deaths in hospitals in New York and across the country.”
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Washington law lacks both money and teeth
Six years after the “To Err is Human” report, the Washington state Legislature responded with a law mandating medical error reports. State Rep. Tom Campbell, a bill sponsor, envisioned a day when patients could click on a Web site and compare hospitals’ safety records.
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X-ray Machines Spread Bugs in ICUs
Multidrug-resistant bacteria can be spread in the intensive care unit by portable X-ray machines and their operators, Israeli researchers found.
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Basic Patient Safety Reforms Would Save 85,000 Lives and $35 Billion a Year, Public Citizen Report Says
The report, “Back to Basics,” analyzed the results of scientific studies of treatment protocols for chronically recurring, avoidable medical errors.
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Report: Most Del. hospitals on par with rest of nation
A law passed in 2007 requires Delaware hospitals to report healthcare-acquired infections to the federal National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). Nineteen other states also require hospitals to report infections.
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Reps should be commended for fighting for patient rights
Letter to Editor from Lori Nerbonne thanking lawmakers for passing hospital infection and error reporting legislation.
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Ranking hospitals now done by many organizations, not just U.S. News & World Report
There’s a movement to make hard numbers the basis for rankings among hospitals, instead of reputation or word-of-mouth.
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Perforated gloves tied to risk for surgical-site infection
Surgical gloves that develop holes or leaks during a procedure appear to increase the risk of infection at the surgical site among patients who are not given antibiotics beforehand, a Swiss study reports.
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Editorial: You should learn the ABCs of HAI and MRSA (PDF)
Kentucky paper endorses public reporting and surveillance cultures for MRSA and HAI. “The health care industry has been reluctant to embrace the simple expedient of screening broadly for patients with MRSA; because some hospitals have refused to isolate all patients with MRSA; because too many doctors, nurses and other health professionals don’t follow basic hygiene rules; because state regulation of hospitals is slipshod.
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Experts Support National Public Reporting of Healthcare-Associated Infections
Five organizations representing the nation’s experts in infectious diseases medicine, infection prevention in healthcare settings, and public health and disease prevention announced their support for a provision requiring national reporting of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) rates, which is contained within the healthcare reform bill introduced by leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives.
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Oklahomans’ fecal transplant aims to kill colon superbug (C-Difficile)
Some Oklahoma patients are opting for an admittedly gross procedure to kill superbugs living in their colons.
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Op-ed: Stop hospital-borne infections
Our state needs to take an active and aggressive policy of mandatory public reporting and tracking of HAI. Kentucky should become a leader in health care, but if Kentucky always waits for the majority of other states to act, we will be relegated to being below average.
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Video: MRSA prevention bill introduced in House
Congresswoman Jackie Speier (CA-12) held a press conference announcing her bill (HR2937) to screen for and prevent MRSA infections in hospitals.
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WCA Hospital Reports Few Instances Of Hospial-Related Infections
According to the report, New York hospitals have lower rates of surgical-site infections than hospitals across the rest of the nation, but the same or higher rates of bloodstream infections in intensive care units than those reported nationally.
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Editorial: Dangerous Care: Hospitals must ensure that infections are minimized
By one estimate, more than 200 Central New Yorkers die every year from infections they caught while in the hospital.
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Editorial: Germ warfare: State Health Dept. finally tackles hospital-acquired infections
After too much delay, the agency has put out a report revealing which hospitals in New York are more and which are less likely to discharge you with a nasty bug.
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NY hospitals have lower infection rates
The second annual Hospital-Acquired Infections, New York State 2008 Report presents infection rates identified by hospital name and region for surgical-site infections.
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Editorial: Health Care’s Infectious Losses
Former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neil comments on reducing health care costs: “The president says he likes audacious goals. Here is one: ask medical providers to eliminate all hospital-acquired infections within two years.”
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Health Reform Should Tackle the Rising Threat of Hospital Infections
Infection prevention through known practices provides policymakers a ready solution to the current health system failure that adds a hefty price tag to the nation’s annual health spending.
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NH: College and Keene Community Show Support for Infection Survivor
Keene State field hockey player Erin Dallas developed a post-surgical infection following an ACL operation last December. Since that time, Dallas has been hospitalized and has had multiple operations.
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Into battle against the superbug
The UAE offers to help war wounded but must stop infection outbreaks: “High on the list of priorities was identifying and isolating the source of infection; this was done, says the report, by taking wound and nasal swabs from all admitted patients and hand and nasal swabs from all staff who came into contact with them.”
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Touched by tragedy
Kim Sandstrom, a patient safety activist in Florida, was invited to attend a White House forum with President Obama that was aired Wednesday night on ABC. Kim’s 24-year-old daughter, Diana, died from a medical error in 2004.
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Many hospitals cut back on infection-control efforts
Many hospitals cut back on infection-control efforts, which will hurt patients and cost hospitals money.
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Torn Surgical Gloves Put Patients at Risk for Infection
Giving antibiotics before operation might improve safety, study finds
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MD: State links billing rates to hospital performances
On July 1, the state’s hospitals will receive financial incentives based on the steps taken to prevent complications, including collapsed lungs and infections of the urinary tract and in the blood.
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Hospital Infections High In Sweden At 10 Percent
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in hospitals impose significant economic consequences on the nation’s healthcare system.
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VA inspections show continued flaws
The VA started a nationwide safety campaign at it’s 153 medical centers calling attention to potential infection risks from improperly operating and sterilizing the equipment.
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Editorial: Mandatory reporting makes hospitals safer
Lori Nerbonne of New Hampshire Patient Voices writes in support of a bill for funding hospital infection rate reporting and an adverse event reporting bill, which will require hospitals to report serious, completely preventable errors to the state.
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Germs and flu are up; infection control is down
Despite growing pressure to prevent deadly hospital-acquired infections, hospitals are cutting back on protecting patients against them.
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Contracting out, hand washing won’t break deadly chain of infection
A new research paper from the Canadian Union of Public Employees says that governments and employers must invest in cleaning and keep services public in order to stop unnecessary suffering and deaths.
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Beth Israel faulted for staph outbreak in mothers, babies
Over the past six months, 18 mothers and 19 newborns have become sick with a dangerous bacterial infection soon after being released from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, triggering a state investigation that uncovered serious problems with the hospital’s infection control practices.
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Bill aims to stop spread of MRSA in hospitals
Representative Campbell’s legislation is an attempt to force hospitals to track drug-resistant MRSA infections and slow the bacteria’s spread
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Stethoscopes Infected with Deadly Bacteria
In the new study led by Dr. Merlin, who’s an assistant professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics at the University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey (UMDNJ) Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, one in 3 stethoscopes being used by emergency medical services (EMS) personnel in a New Jersey hospital’s emergency department tested positive for MRSA.
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Editorial: Ending a culture of resistance to MRSA screening
“Aggressive screening halts the spread of MRSA. Rather than fighting lawmakers, the Washington State Medical Association ought to encourage its 9,000 physician members to get behind mandatory screening.”
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Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Central Line–Associated Bloodstream Infections in US Intensive Care Units, 1997-2007
Study finds MRSA cases in ICU reduced 50%.
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“Superbug infections decline for procedure
Bloodstream infections caused by MRSA have dropped 50% in hospital ICUs in the last decade, according to a new study.
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Kentucky efforts targeting infections in hospitals
New bills aim to require MRSA screening and infection reporting
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Editorial- The MRSA mess: a culture of resistance
A sloppy, uneven response by some hospitals has failed to confront the MRSA infection or adequately inform the public.
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Prevention of MRSA stressed at conference
A bug called MRSA turned Orvil Hazelton’s routine knee replacement into a nightmare that ended only after surgeons amputated his left leg just above the knee.
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MRSA: Patients revolt against hospital secrecy
MRSA: Consumers have launched a battle against hospital secrecy and demanded aggressive steps to control infections like MRSA. But in Washington state, MRSA rates remain hidden and state initiatives to combat the drug-resistant germ have come up short.
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Case studies: Rigorous testing slows MRSA germ in VA hospitals, Tacoma General
An aggressive MRSA-screening program at Veterans Affairs medical centers has dramatically reduced infections, VA officials say. Tacoma General Hospital reports a similar success story.
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Culture of resistance: A Seattle Times Investigation
Part 1: How our hospitals unleashed an epidemic; Part 2: After deadly outbreaks, hospital slow to change; and MRSA resources.
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How our hospitals unleashed a MRSA epidemic
MRSA, a drug-resistant germ, lurks in Washington hospitals, carried by patients and staff and fueled by inconsistent infection control. This stubborn germ is spreading here at an alarming rate, but no one has tracked these cases ― until now.
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Hospitals Fail to Take Basic Steps to Stop MRSA’s Spread
MRSA, MRSA everywhere. And here comes the Seattle Times with a series on the spread of the nasty infection that’s resistant to many of the most widely used antibiotics.
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Conference will address MRSA and ‘never events’
Issues surrounding hospital-acquired infections and other medical events “that should never happen” will highlight a health care conference in Lexington next week.
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Forget MRSA for a Moment, Clostridium Difficile is a Growing Problem
With all the attention on antibiotic-resistant staph, or MRSA, you may have overlooked Clostridium difficile, the nasty bacterium behind a growing number of hospital-acquired infection.
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California Department of Public Health to monitor hospitals for MRSA, other bacterial infections
Gov. Schwarzenegger last month signed two bills that he said will help control hospital infections and lower health care costs by shortening patient stays and reducing avoidable deaths and illnesses.
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Surveillance program leads to plunge in hospital MRSA rates
Kelly Walkinshaw, RN, BSN, has been honored by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (APIC), for her success in reducing MRSA rates among Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients at Oaklawn Hospital in Marshall, Michigan.
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Beyond MRSA: The new generation of resistant infections
The new generation of resistant infections is almost impossible to treat.
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MRSA carriers have persistent infection risk
People who harbor methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) for more than 1 year still have a substantial risk of MRSA-related infection and death, according to a study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
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MRSA Rates Tied to Hospital Understaffing
“The drive toward greater efficiency by reducing the number of hospital beds and increasing patient throughput has led to highly stressed health-care systems with unwelcome side effects,” the researchers wrote.
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Hospital survey finds more targeting resistant bacteria
A survey released Tuesday by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology found that 76 percent had increased efforts in the past year to control the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.
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Hospital infections: Tracking killer that lies in wait
A bill introduced in the California Senate by Sen. Elaine Alquist would require hospitals to publicly report their infection rates.
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State, CDC track link in child flu deaths
Massachusetts health authorities have linked two recent childhood flu deaths to a germ called methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, known as MRSA
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Editorial: Hospitals Fight MRSA Screening
Connecticut hospitals continue to stonewall and fight a sane and sound amendment to Senate Bill 579.
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MRSA rates continue steady climb upward, new Canadian data show
Canadian study: an estimated 2,300 Canadians lost their lives in 2006 to antibiotic resistant Staph bacteria and added $200 million to $250 million to the country’s health-care bill.
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Preventing MRSA: Why I wear a bowtie
Neckties worn by doctors in hospitals have been implicated as carriers of infection causing bacteria
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Are California hospitals doing enough to stop MRSA?
The public is kept in the dark about MRSA and other hospital infections
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MRSA bill takes heat at Capitol
HB 1546, would have required testing for MRSA in patients and doctors, isolation of infected patients and public reporting of MRSA hospital infection rates.
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North state patient’s recovery stalled by persistent infection
“This is preventable,” said Colas, angry and anxious to get back home. “People don’t have to get staph infections.”
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Salem Hospital goes to war with MRSA
Goal is to reduce overall transmission of the bacteria
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MRSA ‘Superbug’ Becoming More Resistant
‘They Can Adapt to Virtually any Pressure That We Expose Them To,’ Doctors Say
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MRSA: Understand your risk and how to prevent infection
MRSA — or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus — has been a problem in hospital and health care settings for years.
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Superbug order creates controversy
California now requires reporting of serious MRSA cases, but leaves out cases acquired in hospitals
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California hospitals must report serious community acquired MRSA cases
But new state requirement fails to require reporting of hospital acquired MRSA
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State must track MRSA infections
Kentucky physician advocates for tracking of MRSA infections.
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Editorial: Beating the staph superbug
The MRSA staph infection is a deadly threat. It’s time for a broad-based response
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FDA approves blood test for ‘superbug’
Rapid test will enable faster treatment, containment of resistant staph germ
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California bill will address hospital infection rates and the problem of MRSA
Articles highlight the work of activist Carole Moss, whose son, Nile, died of a MRSA infection and nine hospitals that prevented 600 infections using a data-mining program to flag infections early to stop them from being passed to other patients.
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U.S. Healthcare Not Doing Enough to Curb MRSA infections
Consumers Union Calls on Hospitals to Invest More Resources
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CA: Talks of exterminating the ‘super bug’
Carole Moss of Riverside told a state Senate Committee today the state is ill-prepared for the growing number of cases related to the deadly, often drug-resistant bacteria called MRSA.
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UK: MRSA test on new patients reduces infections by 40%
A quick test for the drug-resistant bacterium MRSA has helped a London hospital to cut infection rates by almost 40 per cent in a single year.
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Hospitals marshal resources against MRSA
A new federal report on MRSA has prompted hospitals to step up their fight against the superbug.
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Legislation calls for testing patients for MRSA
New York lawmakers consider MRSA screening.
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Idaho hopes to get handle on potentially deadly staph
Health and Welfare Board considers rule requiring health care facilities to report non-fatal cases of MRSA.
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Gregoire takes on superbug MRSA
Gov. Christine Gregoire wants medical laboratories around the state to report cases of invasive MRSA infections and instructed the health department to convene a panel of scientific experts to recommend the best, scientifically sound strategies to monitor and curb antibiotic-resistant organisms.
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Hospitals slow to battle superbug
Locally, only VA screens for fast-spreading MRSA bacteria.
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Why Aren’t The Feds Fighting MRSA Harder?
Hospitals Are Adopting Superbug Screening, But The CDC Hasn’t Ordered Tests
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Top Doc: Staph “The Cockroach Of Bacteria”
CDC Head Says MRSA Infections Can Be Avoided With Common Sense Hygiene
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Testing Patients for MRSA
Nineteen thousand Americans die every year from MRSA, and most contract the disease in hospitals. Critics say testing for the bacteria should be compulsory.
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How staph became drug-resistant threat
MRSA has transformed itself into a menacing microbe with fewer weaknesses and perhaps more lethal power.
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Getting a clean bill of health
To avoid infections, be proactive about doctors’ hygiene
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Deadly superbug is here – why isn’t it tracked?
Unlike mumps or measles, MRSA cases need not be reported to public-health authorities in this state.
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Drug-Resistant Staph Germ’s Toll Is Higher Than Thought
MRSA is killing more people in the United States each year than the AIDS virus.
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UK Doctors’ long-sleeved coats banished to counter MRSA
New dress code for all National Health Services UK staff
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Super Germs
Kentucky infection control specialist says hospitals across the US will have to eventually test patients for MRSA when they are admitted.
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Drug-resistant staph on the rise
MRSA infections have increased exponentially in the past decade.
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Pennsylvania aims at staph infections
Under a new Pennsylvania law, hospitals will be required to test high risk patients for MRSA.
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Report on MRSA to show superbug is widespread in hospitals
Report on the results of the first nationwide study on the prevalence of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in U.S to be released.
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Two bacteria strains, Two challenges
MRSA is getting a lot of attention nationally because of its increasing prevalence and virulence.
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VA Hospital Fights Superbug
Veterans’ hospitals are taking the offensive against MRSA and one in Pittsburgh has seen a 60% reduction in MRSA.
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Screening for safety
Evanston Northwestern Healthcare’s three hospitals are screening patients for MRSA to prevent the spread of these antibiotic resistant infections.
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Isolating and screening hospitalized patients reduces spread of community-acquired MRSA
Success programs in the Netherlands point the way for U.S. hospitals.
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MRSA infection deadly in Pennsylvania
A new Pennsylvania report shows that patients infected with MRSA were four times as likely to die and had longer hospital stays than patients who were not infected with the antibiotic-resistant infection.
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VA starts war on bacterial infection
The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System has begun an effort to help veterans hospitals around the nation eliminate infections from MRSA.
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Pittsburgh VA system leads superbug reduction effort
The Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System is leading a nationwide effort to reduce infections caused by MRSA in hospitals.
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MRSA checks before patients go in
Some leading hospitals in the UK are screening patients for MRSA before they are admitted in an effort to minimize infection risks.Source: Guardian (June 12, 2005)
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Hospitals try to ward off nasty MRSA bacteria
Hospitals in western Pennsylvania are adopting a set of special procedures aimed at protecting patients from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, a difficult to treat and sometimes fatal infection.Source: Pittsburgh Post Gazette (April 27, 2005)
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Super-Resistant Superbugs
Antibiotics have been so overused that a new breed of “superbugs” is now resistant to almost all antibiotics. One of these is MRSA, a staph bacteria, that triggers infections so severe that they can turn deadly in days. It is also a prevalent hospital-acquired infection. 60 Minutes reports.
Research and Reports
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Consumers Union Report: Cutting Surgical Infections
Look up your hospital’s record on preventing surgical infections. Link to the CU analysis:
Source: Consumers Union; April (2009)
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10 Steps for Students to Prevent MRSA
Are you a student? Learn how to protect yourself from MRSA by using this printable pocket guide prepared by Nile’s Project.
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15 Steps to Prevent Infections in Hospitals
Printable pocket guide prepared by Nile’s Project.
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MRSA Fact Sheet (PDF)
Informational flier prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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State Laws Relating to Hospital-Acquired Infections
Twenty-six states have enacted some form of reporting law, requiring hospitals, and sometimes other health care facilities, to submit infection data to the state or the Centers for Disease Control, and release this information to the public on the Internet.
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Testimony in support of MRSA reporting bill (PDF)
Testimony on MRSA bill to the Senate Finance Committee considered by the 2009 Maryland General Assembly.
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A Compendium of Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections in Acute Care Hospitals
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Superbug / MRSA California epidemic
Clips from a California hearing on MRSA. Sen. Florez questions California medical experts. Includes testimony from Betsy Imholz (Consumers Union) and Carole Moss (the Nile’s Project). Video produced by the Nile’s Project MRSA.
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Pets and MRSA
UK website about MRSA in pets and transmission
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Health Guide: MRSA Infection
Background information on causes, symptoms, treatment, and other resources
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What is the main way that staph or MRSA is transmitted in the community? Q & A from the CDC
The main mode of transmission of staph and/or MRSA is via hands which may become contaminated by contact with a) colonized or infected individuals, b) colonized or infected body sites of other persons, or c) devices, items, or environmental surfaces contaminated with body fluids containing staph or MRSA. Other factors contributing to transmission include skin-to-skin contact, crowded conditions, and poor hygiene.
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Health-Care Associated MRSA
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s web page on MRSA
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Invasive Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infections in the United States
Study reveals overwhelming majority of MRSA infections are acquired in hospitals and health care settings.
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Infections with MRSA in U.S. Hospitals, 1993-2005
The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project reports on the rise in antibiotic-resistant MRSA infection in hospitals.
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Report: MRSA infections are 8.6 times more prevalent than previous estimates
The antibiotic-resistant bacteria is found in all wards throughout most hospitals. The study is the first nationwide analysis on the prevalence of MRSA in U.S. healthcare facilities.
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Institute of Progressive Medicine says hospitals should screen all patients for MRSA
Institute criticizes statement by infection control groups opposing MRSA screening for all hospital patients.
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Invasive MRSA infections among dialysis patients
A new report by the CDC underscores the need for better surveillance and infection-control strategies in dialysis centers.
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Plexus Institute seeks solutions to MRSA
A bacteria that stalks every patient admitted to a hospital in this country.
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CDC guidelines on managing antibiotic-resistant infections in health care settings
New guidelines for U.S. health care facilities to control drug-resistant infections are strictly voluntary and fail to recommend proven prevention practices.
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Active surveillance cultures helping to control infections
The use of active surveillance cultures to screen patients for MRSA, along with appropriate precautions for infected patients is a promising new strategy for preventing and controlling hospital infectons.
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MRSA Watch: Tracking the rise of antibodic resistant infections
MRSA Watch site gives extensive information about studies, guidelines and recent stories about MRSA in the UK.
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Lack of Commitment to Cleaner Hospitals in the UK, Patients Association reports
A report by The Patients Association into hospital acquired infections reveals haphazard approach towards screening patients for MRSA.
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A proactive approach to educate patients about and prevent hospital-acquired infections
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Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)
CDC pages on healthcare-acquired infections and community-acquired infections
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Drug-resistant staphylococcus bacteria
Drug-resistant staphylococcus bacteria, which once threatened mainly patients in hospitals and nursing homes, have spread beyond the institutional walls and are now striking young, healthy people at a growing rate. The bugs, mainly new strains of the types lurking in hospitals, are spread by contact with infected skin or simply by sharing towels, clothing, or other personal items.
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Community-Associated MRSA – Frequently Asked Questions
MRSA is a staph infection that is resistant to treatment by common antibiotics. Recently, “community acquired” MRSA (“CA-MRSA”) has been on the increase. The CDC has information available about MRSA.