Public Health and Environment
MRSA
Methicillin–resistant staph aureus (MRSA) caused more than 94,000 life–threatening infections and nearly 19,000 deaths in the United States in 2005, most of them associated with health care settings, according to the most thorough study of life–threatening infections caused by these bacteria, experts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report.
- What is MRSA?
- Staphylococcus aureus often called "staph", are bacteria commonly carried on the skin or in the nose of healthy people. Sometimes, staph can cause an infection. Staph bacteria are one of the most common causes of skin infections in the United States. Most of these skin infections are minor but staph bacteria can also cause serious infections. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a kind of staph bacteria that is harder to kill with common antibiotics such as penicillin, amoxicillin, and methicillin.
- How can I get MRSA?
- Traditionally, MRSA infections happen most often in people who have been hospitalized, had a medical procedure, or resided in a long-term care facility within the previous year. However, recent data are showing an increase in MRSA among younger, healthier populations, who have not been recently hospitalized. MRSA is usually transmitted by direct contact with someone who is infected with the bacteria.
- What are the signs and symptoms of MRSA?
- A MRSA infection can range from a mild skin infection to a severe infection of the bloodstream, lungs, or surgical sites. MRSA that is acquired in the community generally presents as a skin or soft tissue infection, such as an abscess or cellulitis, but it can progress to an infection in other parts of the body, like the joints or bloodstream.
- What can I do about MRSA?
- The best method of preventing MRSA is to maintain good hand hygiene. Wash your hands frequently with either soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Other methods include laundering linens and clothing, washing shared sports equipment frequently with soap and water, avoiding sharing personal items such as razors and towels, and covering up any infected areas with a clean, dry bandage.
- There are still antibiotics that can be used to treat MRSA. If you suspect you have an MRSA infection, see your healthcare provider as soon as possible. If you are given an antibiotic, it is important to take all of the doses that are prescribed.
- More information about MRSA:
