Hospital Superbug Infections on the Decline
Reuters—August 12th, 2010
The antibiotic-resistant microbe MRSA may be slowing its pace after rampaging through hospitals for years, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.
From 2005 to 2008, surveillance data from nine metropolitan areas showed an overall decline of 28 percent in severe infections with MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) contracted in healthcare settings.
“We are encouraged by the findings,” said CDC’s Dr. Alexander Kallen, whose study is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Although the data aren’t nationally representative, he said they bolster earlier studies and are “very good evidence that invasive MRSA infections are decreasing.”
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“But before we get too self-congratulatory about reducing MRSA rates, we need to remember MRSA is only one type of Staph,” said Diekema, who wrote an editorial about the new findings. He noted that MRSA accounts for less than one in 10 hospital infections.
At this point, nobody knows why the rates are falling. One possibility is that infection prevention efforts are paying off, said Diekema.
Over the past decade, hospitals have introduced several measures aimed at preventing the spread of infectious disease, such as requiring staff to wash their hands with soap before inserting a catheter into a patient.
CDC’s Kallen said this was probably one of the most important points, and he recommended patients always make sure that nurses and doctors wash their hands prior to providing care.
Read More: Reuters
