Posted on 09/09/2006 5:52:24 PM PDT by blam
Hospital superbug 'out of control' as child MRSA cases rise to 150
By Beezy Marsh, Health Correspondent
(Filed: 10/09/2006)
Nearly 150 babies and children last year suffered potentially fatal blood infections after contracting the MRSA superbug in NHS hospitals, Government research reveals.
The figure is double that of previous estimates, raising concerns that MRSA is tightening its grip on the very young and that poor hospital hygiene is allowing the superbug to spread.
Children with MRSA in their blood require emergency hospital treatment to prevent blood poisoning and toxic shock, which can quickly lead to organ failure and death. Premature babies receiving intravenous treatment are at particular risk because MRSA is able to enter their bloodstream through the tiny open wound required to administer drugs or fluids.
Preliminary results from the Health Protection Agency study, which will be unveiled at the organisation's annual conference tomorrow, show that more than three-quarters of the 147 youngsters affected since the research began last year were less than a year old. Of those, four out of 10 were under the age of one month.
Dr Alan Johnson, a researcher and microbiologist, said: "We have provisionally seen 147 cases of MRSA bacteraemia in children reported to us. This is very much an interim picture because we are still getting questionnaires from paediatricians."
He suggested that enhanced surveillance explained much of the rise, but said that the study had been extended for another year.
However, Dr Mark Enright, reader in microbiology at Imperial College London, said: "If you are getting nearly 150 bloodstream infections in children, that is an awful lot and it means things are getting out of control."
He added that, because bloodstream infections usually account for about 20 per cent of all MRSA cases, it was possible that as many as 750 children each year are contracting the superbug.
We've come a long way from the days when doctors first learned to wash their hands.
Gee, if only they had socialized medicine there, this wouldn't be a problem.
For all of you who think National health Care is a good idea.....I saw a very decent man die needlessly in a London hospital that was a QUONSET HUT!! he saw the "sister" (nurse) maybe once a day and the doctor less than that!! Pitiful.
You can get any antibiotics you want on the streets of any city in Mexico, I,ve done it and very cheaply too.
Why would you do this?...and how can you trust what you're given?
Excellent (scary) articles, thanks.
Those who worry and fret about overpopulation will be proven wrong, once again.
I agree. The super-resistant TB is showing up in big US urban areas, too.
It has been around this country for years. I remember seeing cases of it when I worked for a transport ambulance company in 1989. A few years later, it had spread to unsuspecting caregivers and MRSA cases had large signs over their beds to warn people to use gloves, gowns, and faceshields when they were treating a MRSA patient.
This is going to get bad, I think. Think about it the next time you see some fellow walking out of the bathroom without washing his hands.
"patients failing to properly take antibiotics given to them and what comes of doctors who are willing to prescribe antibiotics"
Something you don't hear much about is that in many third world countries, powerful antibiotics are available over the counter. You are not even required to see a doctor, you just go to your pharmacy and pick them up!
I suspect this has a lot to do with the development of "superbugs" as well.
thanks, bfl
Most of the virus/bacteria exchange comes from mucus on the hands that then touch doorknobs. While somewhat repulsive, not washing your hands after you handle yourself is fairly germ free. Think about it. You are clean and there are no sources of bodily fluids other than urine which is sterile. You are actually much better off washing your hands after you leave the bathroom.
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