MRSA

[Fastnought]

Our local schools are dealing with this one....

From Web MD...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are a type of staphylococcus or "staph" bacteria that are resistant to many antibiotics. Staph bacteria, like other kinds of bacteria, normally live on your skin and in your nose, usually without causing problems. MRSA is different from other types of staph because it cannot be treated with certain antibiotics such as methicillin.

Staph bacteria only become a problem when they cause infection. For some people, especially those who are weak or ill, these infections can become serious.

MRSA infections are more difficult to treat than ordinary staph infections. This is because the strains of staph that are known as MRSA do not respond well to many types of antibiotics-the types of medicines that are normally used to kill bacteria. When methicillin and other common antibiotic medicines do not kill the bacteria that is causing an infection, it becomes harder to get rid of the infection.

MRSA bacteria are more likely to develop when antibiotics are used too often or are not used correctly. Given enough time, bacteria can outsmart antibiotics so that these medicines no longer work well....

MRSA (http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/methicillin-resistant-staphylococcus-aureus-mrsa-overview)

[redneckrn]

Folks, MRSA has been around for years. I took care of a resident in a nursing home 20 years ago with MRSA in her trach. Now this stuff has gotten totally out of control & we are seeing it in the young & healthy population as well. Every hospital (no matter what they tell you), has problems with this stuff.
The following is my perosnal rant - so take it for what it's worth. I am an RN- just retired after almost 25 years. The PRIMARY reason that we are starting to see increased numbers of antibiotic resistant "bugs", is plain & simple. For years doctors have play the following game:
Mr Jones comes into the office with a simple case of cold like symptoms- sneezing, runny nose, & cough. Dotor enters the exam room & MAYBE listens to his chest (he's gotta see as many patients as he can squeeze in to bill their insurance & Medicare as much as he can get away with). Mr. Jones tells the doctor about his symptoms which the good doctor KNOWS are caused by a VIRUS & will likely go away on their own in a few days. But the doctor doesn't tell him that. Then Mr. Jones starts "playing doctor" himself & says, "Look Doc, what I need is a prescription for an antibiotic". Doctor Feelgood KNOWS he does NOT need this & it will do NOTHING for his symptoms. BUT because he's in a HURRY & he wants to keep Mr. Jones HAPPY & coming back for more visits, he says "Sure, let me just write you a prescription & you'll feel alot better in a few days". WRONG-- he will feel better, but because the virus causing the symptoms has then run it's course. AND the doctor has just given him an antibiotic he didn't need, which helped to contribute to the next REAL bug he gets starting to become antibiotic resistant. Multiply this scenerio x several million cases & you get the picture.
Rant complete.

[amy]

And don't forget all the antibiotics fed to the animals in the food chain, and all the antibacterial soaps etc. everyone wants to sell us.
Bacteria mutate; it's what they do. Exposure to all those unnecessary antibiotics teach them what to become resistant to.