June 2007
Drug-resistant bug raises new concerns
A virulent, antibiotic-resistant bug that’s spread largely by poor hospital hygiene and can cause potentially deadly infections
is much more common than previously believed, according to a report by infection control and prevention professionals that
was released on Monday.
The survey, which was released by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, found evidence of the bacteria methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in 46 of every 1,000 patients, a rate 8 to 11 times greater than previous research suggested. Most of those patients got the bug in the hospital or another health-care facility during a previous visit, the survey concluded. Moreover, the antibiotic-resistant bacteria was found throughout most hospitals, not just in intensive-care units. That’s important because it means MRSA-prevention strategies must be aimed at whole hospitals, not just specific areas.
Infection control and prevention professionals at 1,237 U.S. hospitals chose one day in October or November 2006 to identify all of the patients in their facilities who either carried or had active infections with the bug. That bug no longer responds to several other commonly used antibiotics, making it more difficult to treat. And without adequate treatment, MRSA can cause serious infections in the blood stream, lungs, or urinary tract. It often leads to extended hospital stays and sometimes death.
A form of the bug has increasingly infected healthy people outside of healthcare settings, causing skin infections that look like spider bites or pimples. Those infections can progress to invasive boils and abscesses, and in some cases, more dangerous infections. A recent study of emergency rooms in 11 cities found that such infections are the most common reason adults seek emergency care for skin infections.
In healthcare settings, MRSA primarily spreads through poor hygiene during hospital procedures, for example by health-care workers who don’t properly dispose of contaminated gloves or don’t wash their hands by scrubbing with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. The bug can also be spread through improperly cleaned medical devices or hospital environments. Outside of healthcare settings, the bacteria usually spreads by person-to-person contact, or by the sharing of personal items such as towels.
FIGHTING FOR CHANGE
While some U.S. hospitals have carried out effective strategies to curb MRSA, most hospitals have not. Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, urges states to require that hospitals report their infection rates. So far, 19 state legislatures have passed laws making such information public.
Consumers Union also supports proposals being debated in some states that would require hospitals to screen certain patients for MRSA and take special precautions with those colonized with the bacteria.
For more information on what you can do to persuade your state officials to take this epidemic seriously, visit StopHospitalInfections.org.
The survey, which was released by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, found evidence of the bacteria methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in 46 of every 1,000 patients, a rate 8 to 11 times greater than previous research suggested. Most of those patients got the bug in the hospital or another health-care facility during a previous visit, the survey concluded. Moreover, the antibiotic-resistant bacteria was found throughout most hospitals, not just in intensive-care units. That’s important because it means MRSA-prevention strategies must be aimed at whole hospitals, not just specific areas.
Infection control and prevention professionals at 1,237 U.S. hospitals chose one day in October or November 2006 to identify all of the patients in their facilities who either carried or had active infections with the bug. That bug no longer responds to several other commonly used antibiotics, making it more difficult to treat. And without adequate treatment, MRSA can cause serious infections in the blood stream, lungs, or urinary tract. It often leads to extended hospital stays and sometimes death.
A form of the bug has increasingly infected healthy people outside of healthcare settings, causing skin infections that look like spider bites or pimples. Those infections can progress to invasive boils and abscesses, and in some cases, more dangerous infections. A recent study of emergency rooms in 11 cities found that such infections are the most common reason adults seek emergency care for skin infections.
In healthcare settings, MRSA primarily spreads through poor hygiene during hospital procedures, for example by health-care workers who don’t properly dispose of contaminated gloves or don’t wash their hands by scrubbing with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. The bug can also be spread through improperly cleaned medical devices or hospital environments. Outside of healthcare settings, the bacteria usually spreads by person-to-person contact, or by the sharing of personal items such as towels.
FIGHTING FOR CHANGE
While some U.S. hospitals have carried out effective strategies to curb MRSA, most hospitals have not. Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, urges states to require that hospitals report their infection rates. So far, 19 state legislatures have passed laws making such information public.
Consumers Union also supports proposals being debated in some states that would require hospitals to screen certain patients for MRSA and take special precautions with those colonized with the bacteria.
For more information on what you can do to persuade your state officials to take this epidemic seriously, visit StopHospitalInfections.org.
