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Oct 17, 2007 7:56 pm US/Eastern
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Kellye Lynn Offers Tips To Prevent Staph Infection
by Kellye Lynn
(WJZ)
The news is frightening! A form of bacteria that kills more people than AIDS is lurking all around us.
How can that be? Where did it come from? That's the question many are asking themselves one day after the CDC released its study on the prevalence of MRSA, which is short for penicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
Healthwatch reporter Kellye Lynn reports the truth is this deadly infection has been around for years. The problem is it seems like this bug is becoming increasingly more prevalent, and hitting our area harder than anywhere else.
According to the research, infections caused by the antibiotic resistant MRSA bacteria kill an estimated 19,000 people a year. AIDS killed 17,000 Americans in 2005.
MRSA invades the bloodstream or destroys flesh, and it can be carried by healthy people. In fact, this dangerous superbug can often live on your skin or in your nose.
So what makes it become deadly? MRSA is different from a typical staph infection because it's resistant to antibiotics like methicillin, and doctors say when it enters and spreads inside the body it poses the greatest danger.
For years, hospitals have been tackling MRSA, but only one-quarter of MRSA cases actually involve patients in hospitals. The bug has been spreading through prisons, gyms, locker rooms and poor urban neighborhoods.
Perhaps that's why the study showed Baltimore had the highest incidence of MRSA among nine sites examined.
The infection rate was highest among people older than 65 and African-Americans. About 31.8 in every 100,000 people will contract the superbug. But in Baltimore 116.7 of every 100,000 people are infected with the invasive MRSA. Keep in mind 20% of these people will die from it.
As you know, the problem is not just limited to Baltimore City. Over the past four months,
Eyewitness News has covered the staph infections of 50 students and staff in several Anne Arundel County schools. At least one of those infections was the invasive and deadly MRSA variety.
The bacteria also claimed the life of a Virginia teenager and has forced 21 schools to temporarily shut down.
These are scary statistics, so what can you do to protect yourself?
Here's a tip that may shock you. Curb your use of antibacterial soaps. Antibacterial soaps often kill not only bad bacteria, but the good types that protect you. However, frequent hand washing is essential. I'm sure many of you have heard the saying "cleanliness is next to godliness."
In this case, proper hygiene could help prevent you from meeting your maker quicker than you'd like.
If you are a student athlete, don't share razors, soaps or towels with your peers! MRSA can be treated with powerful intravenous drugs, but as always prevention is the best practice.
If all of this sounds a little overwhelming, let's put things in perspective. Although 19,000 people die from MRSA annually in the U.S., 36,000 Americans die from the flu. You've got it. The flu is a bigger threat to our health than MRSA. So wash your hands and make sure you get a flu shot!
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)