MRSA in Schools

The CDC has just released a study that shows rates of MRSA staph infection are doubling.

Here is the statement that caught our attention:

“Contrary to the generally accepted view, community-associated MRSA strains may be spreading into the healthcare system rather than the other way around.”

This is not a good situation at all, but certainly understandable. Other reports have shown that the CA-MRSA strain is tougher than the HA (Hospital Associated) version. It stands to reason that the tougher strain will take over the weaker.

Here is the abstract of the study:

Hospital-acquired infections with Staphylococcus aureus, especially methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections, are a major cause of illness and death and impose serious economic costs on patients and hospitals. However, the recent magnitude and trend of these infections have not been reported. We used national hospitalization and resistance data to estimate the annual number of hospitalizations and deaths associated with S. aureus and MRSA from 1999 through 2005. During this period, the estimated number of S. aureus–related hospitalizations increased 62%, from 294,570 to 477,927, and the estimated number of MRSA-related hospitalizations more than doubled, from 127,036 to 278,203. Our findings suggest that S. aureus and MRSA should be considered a national priority for disease control.

The data from this study is allmost 2 years old, and yet we are just now hearing about MRSA.

What else are we missing?

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