World MRSA Day | About MRSA

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About HA-MRSA

MRSA (pronouced meer-sa) is an acronym for methicillin-resistant staph aureus and is a type of bacterium often found on the skin and in the nose of healthy children and adults.

HA-MRSA - Healthcare-Acquired MRSA
Aproximately 2% of the U.S. population is now colonized with MRSA. MRSA can cause serious infections such as:
• Surgical site wound infections
• Bloodstream infections
• Pneumonia

Methicillin is an antibiotic that belongs to a class of penicillin-related antibiotics called beta-lactams. Doctors often prescribe beta-lactams to treat staph infections and over time some strains have become resistant to beta-lactams, which means these antibiotics can't kill them. Doctors refer to these organisms as methicillin-resistant staph bacteria. MRSA infections typically are resistant to a variety of antibiotics from other antibiotic classes as well and this can make treatment very difficult. Healthcare-acquired MRSA infections happen frequently in hospitals, rehab facilities, nursing homes and have been increasing in alarming rates for decades. MRSA is becoming more prevalent in healthcare settings due to lapses in infection control. If a person is colonized, they have a 8-12 fold greater chance of getting an infection.

A comprehensive approach is required to prevent infections:
• Screening - active detection isolation ( ADI)
• Isolation in an appropriate manor - gloves and gown used by all who enter the room. Designated equipment such as stethoscope are left in the patients room.
• Strict adherence to hand hygiene ( handwashing)
• Routine enviromental decontamination of equipment and frequently touched surfaces.
• Prudent use of antibiotics and patients finishing their full course of antibiotics.

Most infections are acquired by contact with a healthcare worker with contaminated hands or equipment. IV antibiotics such as vancomycin is administered. An infection can enter the bloodstream causing sepsis and 25% of patients with sepsis die.

MRSA INFECTIONS DEVELOP IN:
• Patients in healthcare facilities of all ages and particularly in the elderly
• People who have been exposed to chronic healthcare environments such as dialysis centers, nursing homes and rehab facilities.

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