The downside of evolution is that bugs evolve into superbugs that are resistant to antibiotics. The government released yesterday the estimate that more than 90,000 Americans get potentially deadly infections each year.
The overall incidence rate was about 32 invasive infections per 100,000 people. That's an "astounding" figure, said an editorial in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, which published the study.
Most drug-resistant staph cases are mild skin infections. But this study focused on invasive infections—those that enter the bloodstream or destroy flesh and can turn deadly.
Researchers found that only about one-quarter involved hospitalized patients. However, more than half were in the health care system—people who had recently had surgery or were on kidney dialysis, for example. Open wounds and exposure to medical equipment are major ways the bug spreads.
In recent years, the resistant germ has become more common in hospitals and it has been spreading through prisons, gyms and locker rooms, and in poor urban neighborhoods.
Yesterday, the death of a high school student, diagnosed as infected with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA sparked the closing of 21 schools in Virginia for cleaning to keep the illness from spreading.
MRSA is a strain of staph bacteria that does not respond to penicillin and related antibiotics but can be treated with other drugs. The infection can be spread by skin-to-skin contact or sharing an item used by an infected person, particularly one with an open wound.
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Many of the infections are being spread in gyms and locker rooms, where athletes — perhaps suffering from cuts or abrasions — share sports equipment.
The AP provides this advice to prevent staph
Antibiotic-resistant staph infections, usually involving the skin, are showing up more often among healthy people. Here are some prevention tips:
— Wash hands thoroughly and often with soap and water.
— Keep cuts and abrasions clean and covered with a bandage until healed.
— Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or material contaminated by wounds.
— Do not share items such as razors, soap, ointments and balms, towels or wash cloths, clothing or uniforms.
— If participating in contact sports, cover cuts, scrapes and other wounds with a bandage.
— Shower with soap immediately after each practice or game. Wipe down all nonwashable equipment (mats, head protectors, gymnastics equipment, etc.) with alcohol or antibiotic solution after each person uses it.
— If caring for someone with an infection at home, wash hands with soap after each physical contact and before going outside. Only use towels for drying hands once. Change and launder linens frequently, right away if they are soiled.
— When contact with body fluids is expected, wear disposable gloves and wash hands after removing them.
— See a physician promptly if you have a suspicious skin sore or boil.