ABOUT THE BUG

ABOUT THE BUG

According to Dr. Blaise Congeni of Akron Children’s Hospital, MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus), a so-called “super bug,” is bacteria, or germs, carried on the skin or in the nose, on which some medicines used to treat staph do not work.

More than 99 percent of staph cases are very mild and limited to the skin. But once in a great while patients can go from perfectly well to very sick or dead within 18 hours.

The health-care system is being overrun with these new staph strains. Before 2000, 100 percent of staph were killed by methicillin, or common drugs. In 2006, half of all staph infections were MRSA.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PHYSICIANS

Always try to get a culture if MRSA is suspected.

Consider the severity of the condition when choosing the drugs to treat MRSA. Save the gold standard, vancomycin, which is still 100 percent effective, for when nothing else will work.

Consider the local pattern of susceptibility to staph at your hospital and in the community at large. Use secondary drugs that work in your community and be aware if they start not to work.

The staph bacteria generally live in the nose. In patients with recurrent disease, some creams will eradicate it from the nose.

TIPS FOR PATIENTS, PARENTS
AND CAREGIVERS

Keep infected areas clean and covered. Throw away dirty dressings so no one will come in contact with them in the trash.

Don’t pick your nose. Improve nail hygiene by keeping them clipped and clean and wash hands frequently with soap and water or use an alcohol-based sanitizer when you touch an infected area or dressing.

Don’t share things such as towels and washcloths, razors, clothing or uniforms.

Use hot water and detergent when doing laundry and dry clothes in a hot dryer. Both will help kill bacteria.

To help prevent recurrent infections, take a bath twice a week for 15 minutes in water to which liquid bleach (1 tsp. per gallon of water) has been added.

Tell anyone who treats you that you have MRSA.