MRSA Notes

From The Daily World (Washington):

Staph infections, including MRSA, occur most
frequently among patients in hospitals and health care facilities,
because of weakened immune systems and opportunities for staph to
invade — such as surgical wounds, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.

But for some reason,
community-acquired MRSA infections are getting more common throughout
the nation and now on the Harbor, striking otherwise healthy people and
catching them and their doctors off-guard, Bausher said.

There are several theories about why staph is getting more resistant to antibiotics, including over-use of the drugs.

Many
people show up at local doctors’ offices thinking the red,
puss-filled bump on their skin is a spider bite, Bausher said.

“If
you have a skin issue that smolders for a day or two, and turns more
aggressive within 24 to 48 hours, chances are that is a sign of a skin
infection,” Bausher said.

Staph infections should not be ignored and could become serious, even fatal.

“When
a physician is seeing a patient who thinks they have a spider bite, the
physician needs to be thinking staph, particularly MRSA,” Bausher
warned. There are tests to determine what kind of staph infection it is.

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