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July 4th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda TUESDAY, July 3 (HealthDay News) — The number of infections
occurring in community settings, such as gyms or schools, that are caused
by the so-called “superbug” MRSA are declining, according to a study of
more than 9 million active and non-active military personnel and their
immediate families.
The superbug, known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus or MRSA, is a type of staph bacteria that’s resistant to many
antibiotics, including penicillin and amoxicillin, according to the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 2 percent of the U.S.
population carry the MRSA bacteria in their nasal cavities, the CDC
reports.
This latest study from the U.S. Department of Defense also found that
the rate of serious infections known as bacteremia caused by MRSA had
dropped between 2005 and 2010, in both community and hospital settings.
“These observations, taken together with the results from others
showing decreases in the rates of health care-associated infections from
MRSA, suggest that broad shifts in the epidemiology of S. aureus
infections may be occurring,” wrote study authors Dr. Michael Landrum, of
the San Antonio Military Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, and
colleagues. What is not yet clear is the cause of the decline.
Results of the study are published in the July 4 issue of the
Journal of the American Medical Association.
MRSA generally causes skin infections, but sometimes those infections
can spread into the blood, causing a potentially life-threatening
condition called bacteremia. MRSA is spread through direct contact or by
touching surfaces or items that were touched by someone with MRSA. It’s
also spread through sharing personal items, such as razors or towels,
according to the CDC.
Because recent research has suggested that MRSA, particularly in
hospitals, is on the decline, the current study sought to get a better
picture of the latest incidence of MRSA infections both in the community
and hospital settings.
The researchers reviewed data from 9.2 million active and non-active
military personnel and their immediate families. They searched for the
first positive MRSA test, whether it was a skin infection or something
more serious.
The percentage of skin and other soft-tissue infections caused by MRSA
in the community setting peaked in 2006 at 62 percent, they found. By
2010, that was down to 52 percent. The rate of bacteremia caused by MRSA
also went down in both the hospital and community settings.
People older than 65 and men were more likely to have bacteremia from
MRSA in the community setting, according to the study.
“The proportion of skin and soft tissue infections attributed to MRSA
has decreased, and the blood-borne infection rate caused by MRSA
decreased, too,” said Dr. Kenneth Bromberg, director of the Vaccine
Research Center at The Brooklyn Hospital Center, in New York City. “It
would be nice to be able to attribute this to better infection-control
practices, but staph outbreaks come and go for reasons we don’t always
understand. The decrease in the rate of infections caused by MRSA may just
be the way things go,” he said.
Donna Armellino, vice president of infection prevention at North Shore
University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., said this was an interesting
study, and that the findings mirror a similar downturn in the percentage
of infections caused by MRSA in her hospital system.
Armellino said she thinks people may be getting better at implementing
infection-control practices. “I think there’s a heightened awareness that
wasn’t there five to 10 years ago. Patients are more likely to ask health
care workers if they’ve washed their hands, and some will ask how an
instrument was cleaned or sanitized.”
To prevent MRSA and other infections, she advised wiping down shared
surfaces such as gym equipment or a shopping cart. And, she said, after
you wipe the surface, let it dry before you touch it.
Bromberg also advised not to share towels or other personal items with
anyone.
Frequent and thorough hand-washing is key to preventing many types of
infections, or, as Armellino recommended, using alcohol-based hand
gels.
Armellino also recommended asking your doctor to test to see if you
carry MRSA if you’re going to have an elective surgery procedure. If you
test positive, MRSA can be treated before you have your surgery, lessening
the chance of a serious infection.
More information
Learn more about preventing MRSA infections from the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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