Is MRSA really scary...

T

thebrain

Cathlete
or is the media just going crazy with it?

For the past week or so, there is another news story daily about a person contracting and even dying from an antibiotic-resistant staph infection, which is being referred to as MRSA. I was hoping the health-care professionals out there could tell us what they know about it and just how concerned we all should be! I have a co-worker who is under treatment for it and all his doctors have said that we don't need to be concerned about contracting it since he is under treatment. But the infection returned and now he is on different antiboitics. Then I hear all these news reports. What the heck should we do or not do?
 
I work in the health field, but I'm not a medical professional. From what I understand, MRSA is a serious concern, and yes, it is becoming much more prevalent.
 
As a nurse, I see it all the time. It used to be a MAJOR thing, but unfortunately, with all the over prescribing of antibiotics, it's becoming more and more prevalent. I've even had patients come in from home with it...it's not just a nosocomial infection anymore (hospital acquired).

For being scary and deadly, yes, if your immune system is shot. But, if you're healthy, I would place money on a bet that we are all carrying it around on us somewhere.

Comments, Robin (our resident microbiologist....)?????
 
It is serious but there are precautions you can take as you would with any bloodborne pathogen.

I use to teach disease prevention and washing your hands frequently is key. Wash your hands with soap and water for as long as it takes to say your ABCs. Also don't share personal items (towels, razors, tweezers, etc.). Cover any open wounds (scratches, sores, etc.) you have with a bandage. Keep them clean, dry and bandaged. These steps will help you avoid many illnesses and should be used ALL of the time especially now that the cold/flu season is upon us.

Please go to these website for good information...

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/MRSA/

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_multidrugFAQ.html


This was actually bound to happen with the overuse/abuse of antibiotics in our country.
 
My toddler had this 2 times last year. It started with what we thought was a bug bite on his stomach. Then about 2 days later it was huge and and painful. So we took him to the E.R. They drained the lump and gave him Septra. It worked, but a few months later, he got it again, I knew right away what it was. This time it was a smaller lump on his leg. I don't have a clue how he got it. No one else in my house has ever gotten it. It's weird. Now, every time he has anything that resembles a small bug bite, I am always taking him a DR. appt or going to the E.R. Yep, it's scary.
 
I am not a medical proffessional , but my husband andI helped our good friend when he contracted it early last year. He had a hole in his hamstring that looked like a shot gun wound... no joke . He stayed at our house for 10days while under treatment because of how painful it was combined with his feeling wiped out from the antibiotics, pain medicine and the fact that he lives alone in a pretty remote area . He I am sure contracted it from the gym which he does Jiu-jitsu training(staff infections in general are pretty common within wrestling , mixed martial arts community ). To be honest it took his immune system a good 9 months to get back on track after he finished up treatment. Pretty scary indeed!!
 
YES!!!!It is serious and it is scary, from a public health point of view. I work in a microbiology lab and it is all to prevalent. We once thought it was just something people caught during a hospital stay, but there are many community acquired infections now. The biggest fear is that MRSA will mutate into VRSA. That would mean the bacteria has become resistant to treatment with vacomycin, the last drug available to treat this organism with. The good news is that,as Melissa said, it can be prevented by frequent hand washing and good hygiene. The other good news is that the MRSA that is found in the community is not as hard to treat as the one in hospitals. It will respond to a few other antibiotics besides vancomycin. Wash your hands. Clean and treat small cuts and abrasions carefully. Watch your kids. And please be smart with antibiotics. You don't need them for every cold or sore throat. Take them as prescribed. Take the whole dose - every last pill.
 
Yes, it is scary. My husband had it in his leg in May. He didn't catch it from being in the hospital (don't know where actually, but not a hospital). It nearly ate it's way down to the muscle. He had to go to many treatments at the wound center after a surgeon cut it out of his leg. It was a huge hole and left big scars. Had he waited longer to go to the doctor about it he could have lost some of his calf muscle.

Just a month ago, MRSA visited him again but in the other leg. This time they caught it earlier but he had to have it cut out again. Someone he worked closely also had bouts with it at the same time. Because people at his work were worried they'd get it too (I totally understand!), even though he felt fine DH was told not to return to work for 3 1/2 weeks until it had healed.

Everything in my house has been bleached and sanitized so many times I can't count. The doctor said that many people carry MRSA but only some people succumb to it.
 
That's true, TK. Many people harbor the bacteria in their nose or on their skin. You can get it from another person if you have close contact, like athletes involved in a contact sport, but it isn't spread like cold viruses are, in droplets when a person coughs or sneezes. You may pick it up from surfaces that someone's infected wound came in contact with. Again, wash your hands. Make your kids wash their hands. Make your DH's wash their hands. Make your Mom and Grandma wash their hands. Oh, I also learned at a conference this weekend that many doggie treats harbor Salmonella. It doesn't harm your pooch, but can make you sick. WASH YOUR HANDS after treating your pet.
 
i live in the VA. area where alot of this has been happening and we lost a student from complications. its serious but we all have to take precautions. i always kept and will always keep hand sanitizer by my register at work(high school) and i encourage all the girls to use it as well as washing hands(especially the food workers). we wash our hands constantly as well as wearing gloves when serving on the line. since i handle money i am touching what the kids touch so between breaks in the line i use the sanitizer and after the end of lunch bell rings i wash up. in addition we wipe down the counters with hospital sanitizer and change the buckets of hot water with it between lunches. everything we wash is in hot hot water.

these are things we have always done in the cafeteria at our school and the school system has taken extra precautions for extra sanitizing but our school has always been pretty good about it. so "knock on wood" we will be okay.

the other schools believe this was caught from uncleaned locker rooms especially the mats they use in the gym not to mention sharing equipment. i feel for the family of the young man that died as a result of complications from fighting this. they are really encouraging on the news all the above info in addition to NOT sharing anything with friends.

kassia

http://www.picturetrail.com/ldy_solana

"And do what thee wilt as long as ye harm none"

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1307/4842454/16585805/276676894.jpg
 
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