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- seattlegirluw, on 11/19/2008, -2/+14I saw this. My husband and I are going to read it when my mom is done with the piece. Particularly relevant since my husband battles constant MRSA outbreaks. (MRSA loves to live in eczema patches, apparently.) He's had about 20 or more MRSA-induced boils in the past 9 or so months. Unlike some of the folks in this article, though, he was blessed with caring and conscientious docs/good insurance.
Still, he now can't get private insurance (his COBRA ran out) because he's had more than 2 MRSA outbreaks in 2 years -- despite the fact that he was insured for all of them. Given that they estimate 30% of people have MRSA on their skin, that seems rather stupid.- jackieblu, on 11/20/2008, -0/+6I saw this as well- it pisses me off. Insurance companies, just like hospitals have a vested interest in keeping this secret as possible; however, it's ironic because in your husbands case at least it would be known prior to any surgery etc.
- melville248, on 11/19/2008, -2/+5Wow.....I look back at all the surgeries my kids have had, I feel lucky that this has never affected them and thankful to be informed about it now as my daughter prepares for another surgery in December. Thank you for this information!
- onlysc, on 11/19/2008, -2/+5i had mrsa a couple months ago. IT SUCKED!!! i was lucky though that i went to the doc soon enough and got rid of it fairly quickly
- xkvtor, on 11/19/2008, -16/+7Hospitals and doctors are leading causes of disease and death.
- atlantocide, on 11/20/2008, -6/+13And ignorance is one of the leading causes of stupid comments.
- jackieblu, on 11/20/2008, -2/+3Did you even read the article?
- xkvtor, on 11/21/2008, -4/+1You are the ignorant one. Good luck with that.
- emt1451, on 11/20/2008, -3/+4...then please don't visit us.
- xkvtor, on 11/21/2008, -1/+1As much as possible, absolutely.
- Rockkybox, on 11/20/2008, -2/+2***** there are lots of deaths in hospitals? That is good enough for me, ban them now!
- xkvtor, on 11/21/2008, -2/+1Well if you cannot discern cause and effect that is too bad for you.
- Rockkybox, on 11/24/2008, -1/+1You're so wrong and what's sad is that you have no inkling of that fact
- atlantocide, on 11/20/2008, -6/+13And ignorance is one of the leading causes of stupid comments.
- asgardshill, on 11/20/2008, -1/+8Been there, done that, been connected to that IV bag of Vancomycin in the hospital. MRSA blows little baby goats - nasty stuff.
- stev31h, on 11/20/2008, -0/+3i heard vancomycin is nasty ***** as well..
- asgardshill, on 11/20/2008, -0/+7Vancomycin's mild side effects were infinitely preferable to that 3-inch by 4-inch oozing green pustule of macerating staph-laden death I used to have in one of the worst places that a human being can have a 3-inch by 4-inch oozing green pustule of macerating staph-laden death.
- Samadhi007, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2The back of a Volkswagen?
- Kale, on 11/20/2008, -0/+3Part of my master's research was on VRSA. That's right, there are strains of Vancomycin-resistant staph. And there appears to be a link between vanc resistance and daptomycin (dapto can be used as a last resort for soft tissue gram+ infections)
- stev31h, on 11/20/2008, -0/+3i heard vancomycin is nasty ***** as well..
- gooddarts, on 11/20/2008, -6/+8And no one stops to think how the bacteria feel.
- 2ndEdition, on 11/20/2008, -4/+5kill it with fire.
- bilalnaseer, on 11/20/2008, -0/+9Hospitals have been associated with nosocomial (hospital acquired) infections since forever. It is obvious that when sick patients are admitted and treated, infections can be transmitted from one patient to the other. Solution is separate rooms for all patients, strict hand washing and other infection control methods. All of these are slowly being implemented as standards of practice and rates of nosocomial infections are decreasing.
The spread of MRSA has more to do with its prevalence in the community. Community Acquired MRSA is a different strain and exact reasons why its incidence is rising is not clear. Rising rates of MRSA in community mean more admissions to hospitals for this infection and more chances of transmission. All hospitals are trying their best to fight this infection. There aren't good ways to eradicate the colonization of MRSA in individuals. However a lot of research is being done in this field and also to treat MRSA. Newer medications like Linezolid (Zyvox) is extremely effective in treating Skin and soft tissue infections related to MRSA. However its cost is a major problem (two weeks of treatment costs 1500$).
Hopefully we will be able to fight this infection and decrease the rates of transmission in our hospitals.- MannaPC, on 11/20/2008, -3/+3I'll be quite honest with you, until a major crack down (Hopefully government based) occurs in hospitals, MRSA will be easily transferable. My dad has a massive stroke and after an asshat in ICU decided missing the vein with an IV was impossible, my dad caught MRSA. He was later sent to rehab (Which by the way, we have everyone on their useless asses) they put him in a room with an isolation cart outside and instructions to wear gloves, masks, etc when entering the room and keep the door closed. Sounds great? Nah, they'd just walk in, treat his wounding using the same tape they use for everyone and the same scissors shared among several patients. It is poor technique and laziness helping to fuel this "epidemic." You could rant on and on about this, but it's quite evident the likely hood of everyone following the rules is slim to none.
- dmax801, on 11/20/2008, -1/+5There are two MRSA: Hospital acquired and Community acquired. They behave a bit differently and are treated differently. (Hospital acquired -> IV antibiotics. Community acquired -> abscess drainage and maybe pills).
If someone could point a magic wand at you and sterilize you right now, you'd still be re-exposed when you did your normal activities, because it's rampant in the community.
A part of its prevalence is from people insisting - wrongly - that they need antibiotics for colds. Or from using that constant Purell crap on their hands. Doesn't work. Stop it.
In the meantime, there is no reason - absolutely none - to expect that this will fade from our community. It's a tad frightening. - docdailey, on 11/20/2008, -0/+4Bacteria will win. It doesn't really matter what we do they will develop resistance. How long have bacteria been around? Antibiotics? hundreds of millions of years vs what 50 or 60 years...no contest. Does anyone think methicillin is the worst thing bacteria have face in hundreds of millions of years? I seriously doubt it... they have faced methicillin/penicillin for millions of years and overcome. They divide and multiply and mutate quickly...we have to just stay a step ahead with new antibiotics and hold them at bay...that is the best we can hope for. Whatever "pressure" you put on them they will adapt. Nothing to worry about really...
For individual patients though the good handwashing and aseptic technique is important. - turkoftheplains, on 11/20/2008, -0/+3Wish I could Digg your comment twice. I was just about to post the exact same thing. Community-acquired MRSA and Hospital-acquired MRSA are completely different beasts.
CA-MRSA: originated in a prison. infects healthy people in the community. contagious/spread by close contact, almost behaves like an STD at times. causes skin and soft tissue infections but can rarely cause a life-threatening necrotizing pneumonia. resistant to beta-lactams, but often sensitive to a wide variety of other antibiotics-- at least for now.
HA-MRSA: originated in a hospital. infects hospitalized patients (and patients with frequent healthcare contact) with impaired immunity; relatively difficult to transmit. Causes a variety of infections. Frequently resistant to numerous antibiotics.
The plasmid that codes for resistance in HA-MRSA is huge and impairs the fitness of bacteria that carry it everywhere except in hospitals. CA-MRSA has a compact, low-fitness-cost plasmid that often also codes for the Panton-Valentin leukocidin, a nasty toxin that kills white blood cells. It's that toxin that allows it to cause a horrible necrotizing pneumonia in the the miniscule proprtion of people who are unfortunate enough to get it. - arkaycee, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1"All hospitals are trying their best to fight this infection."
FTA, apparently only when regulators are watching. And not even all that well then. - xkvtor, on 11/21/2008, -0/+1"Slowly being implemented". Amazing. This from organizations whose purported highest goal is the health of patients.
- simoviestar, on 11/20/2008, -6/+4Assistant: Sir, hospitals in US have unleased a MRSA epidemic.
President of Madagascar: SHUT. DOWN. EVERYTHING.
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll100/CaptainFa ... - SolidEuphoria, on 11/20/2008, -11/+3How America can't use "a" and "an" correctly
- Sylenus, on 11/20/2008, -0/+3My professor wrote "an history is necessary" on a paper he handed back to me.
- JenniferInMO, on 11/20/2008, -1/+1that would be correct.
- Sylenus, on 11/21/2008, -0/+1lies, when I do a history of anything I check the sources.
- stev31h, on 11/20/2008, -3/+10An American insulting America, how typical. Not everyone pronounces MRSA Mer-sah, some people spell out the acronym M-S-R-A, which would validate why he used "an". Your countrymen aren't really always that stupid.
And your sentence is a fragment.- bumzab, on 11/20/2008, -1/+3You spelled out the acronym wrong.
- SolidEuphoria, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1Really? What sentence...
I don't believe I used a period.
And I wasn't insulting anyone, it was a statement about how America can not use forms of words correctly, such as "there", "they're" and "their". - Rockkybox, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2I think suggesting an entire nation can't understand simple grammar falls under the heading of insulting
- stev31h, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1@bumzab.. touche haha
@SolidEuphoria, it's nice you would point that out, and i'm pointing out that everyone doesn't have to jump to point out an American being stupid. People make mistakes. - SolidEuphoria, on 11/24/2008, -0/+1I am American, and I never said anyone was stupid. People obviously cannot read either.
- Sylenus, on 11/20/2008, -0/+3My professor wrote "an history is necessary" on a paper he handed back to me.
- SpaceBass, on 11/20/2008, -1/+3The average hospital has over 100,000 visits a year and a MRSA rate well below 1% ... while its fair to argue that even 1 person contracting a hospital born infection is 1 too many, consider the volume and the work the hospitals do. Next time, watch and see if your doctor (most likely not a hospital employee) washes his hands before shaking yours...
The good news is that Medicare (including tricare and medicaid) has added hospital acquired MRSA as a "never event" meaning they force the hospitals to pay for the treatment to help encourage hospitals to take measures to protect you against MRSA.- Medicamusic, on 11/20/2008, -0/+4The reason you dont see them wash their hands in front of you is because the use Purell on their way out of each room... or at least theyre supposed to.
- SpaceBass, on 11/20/2008, -1/+3sadly there are studies that suggest otherwise
- Medicamusic, on 11/20/2008, -0/+4The reason you dont see them wash their hands in front of you is because the use Purell on their way out of each room... or at least theyre supposed to.
- stev31h, on 11/20/2008, -0/+3its worse in europe...
- headmower, on 11/20/2008, -4/+3My 54 yr old girlfriend had penumonia last Feb. was caused by MRSA she was hospitalized for 8 weeks in ICU She barly survived this
infection
HEADMOWER - Medicamusic, on 11/20/2008, -1/+4I work in a hospital and on the first day accidentally walked into an isolation room to brush this elderly patient's teeth without the protective gear on... right after I realized it, I went and boiled my hands for a while. I also had to pick up the brick i shat in the hallway.
- emt1451, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1You did *what* to your hands?
- Medicamusic, on 11/20/2008, -0/+3I said I boiled them... you know, hot water. What I meant by this was that I washed them in very hot water. Dont be alarmed- I did not actually boil them.
- emt1451, on 11/22/2008, -0/+1If it wasn't boiling then you did basically nothing. Actually the bacteria might have enjoyed the warm bath. Use soap.
- arkaycee, on 11/20/2008, -0/+0Washing hands in soap under running water for at least 20-60 seconds = effective.
Literally boiling them = effective (for germ-killing, also for hand-killing).
Washing them merely in water NOT hot enough to damage your hands = not significantly more effective than using cold water.
- emt1451, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1You did *what* to your hands?
- maxlightz, on 11/20/2008, -3/+7hospitals are for sick people ... i don't go to hospitals and i don't get sick
- atomic811, on 11/20/2008, -1/+4Only sick people take medicine. If I don't take medicine I won't be sick :-P
- JenniferInMO, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1you sound like my husband.
- atomic811, on 11/20/2008, -1/+4Only sick people take medicine. If I don't take medicine I won't be sick :-P
- Gee1004, on 11/20/2008, -9/+5Today hospitals make you more sick
- KDeTo, on 11/20/2008, -0/+15I work in a hospital and seriously washing your hands (I mean really washing them) before and after patients makes a huge difference. It's amazing how gross some people are who work in the medical field.
- tontovila, on 11/20/2008, -2/+3There's actually a product out now, that's apparently launching right now( I was BSing with one of the owners) and it's a hand sanitizer type thing that is actually healthy for your skin, but will kill a BUNCH of stuff including MRSA and C-Dif. bocusinc.com is their website.
- turkoftheplains, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2C. diff is a spore former. You need soap and water to kill it.
Alcohol-based products work OK for MRSA and VRE, though.
- turkoftheplains, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2C. diff is a spore former. You need soap and water to kill it.
- jackieblu, on 11/20/2008, -0/+5It's true- doctors, and hospitals are responsible for spreading MRSA. Most of the time it's spread by medical staff not washing their hands, and hospitals (clinics and doctors offices), not cleaning things properly. In addition, anyone can have it with out even knowing it. A little test by hospitals can detect this, and treat it prior to surgery, and if someone comes in through the ER- they can take proper precautions.
- U2groupie, on 11/20/2008, -1/+5My cousin got MRSA while in the hospital with the flu. For nearly a year now, he has suffered boils on his legs from the MRSA infection. Now, he's near death in ICU because the infection has moved to his blood. As far as I'm concerned, the hospital has been slowly killing my cousin, leaving behind a wife and two young beautiful daughters who will grow up without their beautiful and loving father.
- embryodb, on 11/20/2008, -4/+1We need some food,some clothes,all good education,repatriation right now
Ow!,no harm shall come upon our children,Pharaoh
Remember not even the disasterous pestilence
No harm shall come upon thy children,oh yeah
Not even the disasterous pestilence,well . . . - KilluhKD, on 11/20/2008, -0/+5At the hospital I work at our walls our lined with antimicrobial hand foam to help stop this form spreading. I use them at least once every 5 minutes.
- ztbq48, on 11/20/2008, -8/+1...Enter all the armchair internet wannabe-physicians and their opinions about MRSA...
- Dbeneath, on 11/20/2008, -0/+5I got an MRSA infection last year, right after a kid at my school got it and ended up dying from related complications. Scary as hell, and I have permanent scares on my legs from where they had to drain it. If you get something that looks like a bad, slightly raised spider bite, don't wait to go see a doctor- something I wish someone told me.
- papucutta, on 11/20/2008, -2/+1at least methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is treatable by vancomycin. next, ppl start getting vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA)....THAT'S some scary *****. biocontainment! and there's no known treatment.....
- turkoftheplains, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1Three reasons I buried your comment:
1. linezolid
2. dalfopristin/quinupristin
3. daptomycin
- turkoftheplains, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1Three reasons I buried your comment:
- adikt, on 11/20/2008, -0/+6Proper hand washing, people. Proper hand washing. It's that simple.
- W00DR0W, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2what if it gets on your leg?
- adikt, on 11/20/2008, -0/+4Proper leg washing, people. Proper leg washing. It's that simple.
- W00DR0W, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2what if it gets on your leg?
- mattycoze, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1The emergence/evolution of superbugs - an example of bacterial horisontal gene transfer conferring antibiotic resistance. It's inevitable, however I don't believe that we will all be entirely wiped out by multi-drug reistant bacteria - there are more scarier forms of infectious disease to worry about; including some pox-viruses and even more highly pathogenic bacterial life.
I'm no infectious disease specialist, and I really hate listening to these doomsday messages of how the human race will succumb to a nasty pathogen; because they offer little hope!
We tend to underestimate our immune systems potential at fighting disease. On a population scale, there is so much genetic diversity of the human race that there is no doubt that at least a subset of our population will carry immunity to virtually any pathogen. For the rest of us, unfortunately, we may either die unless we science to provides us with new antibiotics (that may eventually wear off) or more importantly vaccines... The fight continues!- Rockkybox, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1Compared with many animals humans have actually quite low genetic diversity; we were nearly extinct and some point, which has resulted in the entire human race having less genetic diversity than a roomful of chimps
- mattycoze, on 11/21/2008, -0/+1I'd like a source on that;
- Rockkybox, on 11/24/2008, -0/+1I'll see what i can rustle up, but I first read it in Bill Bryson's 'a short history of nearly everything'
- Rockkybox, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1Compared with many animals humans have actually quite low genetic diversity; we were nearly extinct and some point, which has resulted in the entire human race having less genetic diversity than a roomful of chimps
- Pinkertinkle, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1Thats why God invented linezolid.
- blaker00, on 11/20/2008, -2/+2colloidal silver, wild oregano. nuff said.
- arkaycee, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1What is described in the article sounds, in part, like hospital administrators deciding "we don't want to test for it because we don't want to have to know how many have it and then be forced to isolate them." If hospital decision-makers thought it would be a win to test for it with a $20 test, they'd do the test and charge everyone $40 for it.
- Bladerunnerx, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1Last year, around this time, I collapsed and was taken to the hospital. I contracted pneumonia, wasn't responding to most antibiotics, the went septic. This is supposedly uncommon for someone in their late 30's.
The doctor's suspected a rare form of MRSA that can attack the lungs. I was isolated in ICU, pumped full of the latest, greatest and most expensive antibiotics. Two weeks, and $35K later, I was released from the hospital. I took me at least another 2 months to feel normal again.
Needless to say, my family was very concerned since the doctor's gave me a 60% chance to survive.
The doctor's never did figgure out how or where I may have picked up the virus. I am just thankful that is was not passed on at the time to my 6mos old son or wife. - Coventrian, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2I have two holes in the back of my leg that shouldn't be there due to an infection after achilles tendon surgery.
I have been on IV antibiotics now for 11 weeks, 7 days a week, I have been on : Vancomycin, amikacin, maxipeme, cubicin, flagyl. Nobody is going to admit to it being an MRSA infection but its still here and I still have two holes in me that shouldn't be there, I have pretty much lost my job and unless something happens in the next three weeks I'm gong to lose my house as well. - katsanes, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1My former employer is on the verge of releasing another promising drug to fight this super-bug
For more info: http://ir.theravance.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?Release ... - polexia, on 11/21/2008, -0/+1Sorry but I am actually worrying about the whopping cough right now I get back to you on that later MRSA
- reeds1999, on 11/21/2008, -0/+2It is all about the dollar. It would COST hospitals to take the proper preventive measures, but as big pharma comes out with drugs to treat it, MRSA will become a nice profit center! A win win situation for all, except the patient of course.
- Coinspinner, on 11/21/2008, -0/+1Cannabis kills it dead, stop worrying.
Oh yeah wait, Cannabis is illegal. WORRY!
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