Knowledge is key weapon in fight against 'superbug'

Sure, the headlines sound scary: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections on the rise.

[ann]

at the end of the school last year my child was confirmed to have MRSA and the school system did not seem to be that rushed to do something about it. How do we get things rolling if there is another report of this in our school?

[outside the box]

Ann, Dr. Belcher is the best, how about you just listen to and take his advice.

[mykidzmom]

The good thing about ever having had MRSA is you get a private room in the hospital for life. The bad thing is being allergic to all the medications used to treat it.

[Honestly]

ann wrote:

at the end of the school last year my child was confirmed to have MRSA and the school system did not seem to be that rushed to do something about it. How do we get things rolling if there is another report of this in our school?

Didn't you even read the article. It is no big deal. And to the STAR: the infections were not school related. That is like saying that people who go to church and (coincidentally)get a sore throat have church-related sore throats!

[justwondering]

I would like to see a picture of this infection. Can it be confused with Hand, Mouth, Foot Disease (HFMD)?? My son has blisters on his hands, feet, in his mouth, knees, and diaper area. Anyone know?

[Nurse07]

justwondering wrote:

I would like to see a picture of this infection. Can it be confused with Hand, Mouth, Foot Disease (HFMD)?? My son has blisters on his hands, feet, in his mouth, knees, and diaper area. Anyone know?

The following is a quote from WebMD:
"In otherwise healthy people with no recent history of hospitalizations, MRSA often appears as a pimple or boil that can be red, swollen, and painful. The lesion may also have pus or other drainage. Draining the lesion in the doctor's office may be the only treatment needed for localized skin infections, but doctors may also treat skin infections with oral antibiotics that are not resistant to the infection."
There are some pictures of the lesions on that site as well (www.webmd.com). There are a lot of articles on MRSA, as well as HFMD if you'd like more info.

[Nicole Knox]

Thank you for being responsible and objective in your reporting. In having three school age children, I'm glad that someone is presenting the full view of this infection. Every other article that I've read about this "superbug" has only served to create panic and fear.

[Alan]

I'm glad to see the coverage on MRSA infections. I got a staph infection at a local hospital (it wasn't MRSA), but my knee was swollen and red. After a few days, my doc had a pic line installed in my arm ( a small line that allows injections to go directly into your heart) and I got the privilege to do 3 injections per day of antibiotics. I'm thankful that antibiotics worked with the guidance of a skilled infectious disease doc. This is no minor deal as I still suffer from pain in my knee which was operated on in Feb. 07. Here's some things I learned from this infection:

1. It's OK to ask your medical personnel to wash their hands before they examine or touch you. Hospitals need to do a better job of making sure that medical folks wash their hands.

2. Just because a medical product is in a plastic bag doesn't make it sterile. Unfortunately, hospitals moved away from stainless steel years ago to save money and plastic is a way of life. Don't assume that the plastic is safe. There's not much you can do but insure that you see the items opened in front of you.

3. Before you go to a hospital, ask what their staph and MRSA infection rates are. If it's high, go to another hospital before you have surgery.

[anonymous]

This 'superbug' is more common than you think... working in an ER, I work with numerous patients with MRSA on a daily basis and have yet to contract it. I'm glad to see an article that gives a more realistic view of MRSA in our community.

[BUD]

YouKnow wrote:

This applies to the Star as well. A little bit of knowledge goes a long way towards reducing the impact of stories authored by adults that are functionally beneath my 6th grader.
Sorry, Star, but YOU are the joke.

i agree 100 % a lack of resurch maby did the star privatize?

[indy]

Tech Parent wrote:

This Tech parent wasn't notified...not that I really care but it bugs me that IPS says something but didn't do it. SOunds like all the other crap that goes on in the system. Say what you want the parents to hear.

I too am a parent at Tech and I agree!! I had to hear it from my mother who was watching the news last night. If it is important enough to have on the news it is certainly important enough to mention it to the parents. I work in the medical field and know that it can be potentially dangerous but it doesn't seem that this is the case at Tech so I'm not that worried but TECH and Administrators need to acknowledge that it happend. If it did turn out to be something then they would be looking for excuses why they didn't let anyone know.

[Bloomington Mom]

Nobody should be hearing about it from the school or the news. ITS NOT NEWSWORTHY> I cannot believe the hysteria created by our media for a common infection.

RELAX ALL STUPID PEOPLE WHO WON"T READ THE DOCTORS ADVICE AND WOULD RATHER BELIEVE THE NEWS ANCHOR OF THE DAY.....

This article is the first one to tell you the truth.

GO BE HYSTERICAL about something worthwhile.

[Dohh]

Bloomington Mom wrote:

Nobody should be hearing about it from the school or the news. ITS NOT NEWSWORTHY> I cannot believe the hysteria created by our media for a common infection.
RELAX ALL STUPID PEOPLE WHO WON"T READ THE DOCTORS ADVICE AND WOULD RATHER BELIEVE THE NEWS ANCHOR OF THE DAY.....

This article is the first one to tell you the truth.
GO BE HYSTERICAL about something worthwhile.

If you get it from the hospital it can get in your bloodstream and become fatal, since you cannot get rid of it.

What does the article say about that?
Or don't you care that the next time you visit the hospital you can contract this and die?

[Doug Phillips]

Vital Oxide kills MRSA on contact. See http://www.vitaloxide.com

[Apiarist]

Dohh wrote:

<quoted text>
If you get it from the hospital it can get in your bloodstream and become fatal, since you cannot get rid of it.

This is not true. MRSA is not resistant to all drugs; it is still treatable if it reaches your bloodstream. There is a higher fatality rate from hospital-acquired MRSA (about 20-25%) but this is true in part because these patients have other health problems.

This is not a new disease; it's been around for decades. The advice in the article is sound.

[Dohh]

Apiarist wrote:

<quoted text>
This is not true. MRSA is not resistant to all drugs; it is still treatable if it reaches your bloodstream. There is a higher fatality rate from hospital-acquired MRSA (about 20-25%) but this is true in part because these patients have other health problems.
This is not a new disease; it's been around for decades. The advice in the article is sound.

That's not true. You will never totally get rid of it. Drugs will treat, but not cure it if it is the kind you acquire from the hospital.

If this is not true, provide the proof.

[Apiarist]

Dohh wrote:

<quoted text>
That's not true. You will never totally get rid of it. Drugs will treat, but not cure it if it is the kind you acquire from the hospital.
If this is not true, provide the proof.

I don't know why I should do your research for you. A simple google search for "MRSA cure" turns up lots of articles that discuss the subject. But here's one:
http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/biol_hazards/m...

[indy]

Bloomington Mom wrote:

Nobody should be hearing about it from the school or the news. ITS NOT NEWSWORTHY> I cannot believe the hysteria created by our media for a common infection.
RELAX ALL STUPID PEOPLE WHO WON"T READ THE DOCTORS ADVICE AND WOULD RATHER BELIEVE THE NEWS ANCHOR OF THE DAY.....
This article is the first one to tell you the truth.
GO BE HYSTERICAL about something worthwhile.

The point I was making is not about the "common infection" but about how some schools pick and choose what they are going to tell the parents. Tech is the same school that "supposedly is going to have a KKK rally on campus on Halloween and that was ALL over the news even people from out of state calling relatives asking about it. Now they called home about that which hadn't even happened yet BUT when they actually have a MRSA infection(knowing that it is in the Media right now, also knowing how some people are going to get worked up about it) the least they could do is let the parents know that everything is OK. The schools now have a system where they can call all the parents at once through automated system within 3 seconds. That is the point that was trying to be made. Not that the doctor was wrong nor that we believe everything the media says as we all know that we can not!

[Bloomington Mom]

einstein

they are talking about SCHOOLS

community acquired vs hospital acquired?

duh?????

care? I care that stupid people are allowed to reproduce.

[Steve Kennedy]

Any one instrested in keeping this super bug undercontrol we have the answer at Bioremediation, Inc.
go to www.baadbugs.com
Click on San A Saf and read