Pharmaceutical Industry discussion, review, analysis, news and information.

Staphylococcus (staph) is bacteria that cause a multitude of illnesses that are curable with antibiotics. The concern now is that a new strain, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), the Superbug, can cause serious infections and is resistant to numerous antibiotics such as methicillin and penicillin.

Prerviously MRSA infections were localized to institutional health care setting like hospitals and nursing homes. Now, however, there are reports that the infection is appearing in the community at an alarming pace.

According to The Journal of the American Medical Association, MRSA is responsible for over 94,000 MRSA illnesses and 18,650 deaths in the U.S. in 2005.

The CDC has recommended the following procedures to prevent and control the spread of MSRA:

• Hand Hygiene: Perform hand hygiene between patients and between tasks on the same patient to avoid cross-contamination of different body parts.
• Gloving: Wear gloves. Do no wash or re-use.
• Mouth, nose, eye protection: Use PPE to protect mouth, nose and eyes during procedures that are likely to generate splashes of human body fluids.
• Glowing: Wear a gown to protect skin.
• Appropriate Device Handling: Handle any device used on a patient appropriately. Ensure that reusable products are discarded, not reused, and that reusable devices are properly disinfected.

The public can reduce exposure by frequent and proper hand washing and avoiding contact with anyone with an open wound or use of any item that may have touched an open wound.

Resources:

• Wikipedia
• Mayo Clinic
• Center for Disease Control