Posted on 08/24/2006 12:31:16 AM PDT by neverdem
In April 2005, Sara Stephan, a 13-year old in Charleroi, Pa., developed what looked like a pimple on her cheek.
A blemish on a teenager is not exactly cause for alarm, but her mother, Carla Stephan, became concerned when it started to spread and swell. “Her whole cheek got big and red,” she said.
Next, a similar lesion above Sara’s eye. Then, she got one the size of a softball on her buttock, and several more on her thighs.
Tests showed that Sara had a particularly persistent and sometimes deadly bacterial infection known as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, often abbreviated as M.R.S.A.
Intravenous antibiotics seemed to eradicate it, but Sara has had recurrences, requiring three additional hospitalizations.
“It’s been horrible,” Ms. Stephan said. “How would you feel being her age having to deal with this?”
Health care providers have been concerned about an increasing number of such cases for years. But they are now reporting infections in unexpected locales and among a bewilderingly diverse population.
M.R.S.A. is also demonstrating an alarming virulence and protean nature, making it more difficult to contain and treat. Doctors say that because it is not clear who is vulnerable — even people who are in good health and practice good hygiene have been infected — everyone should take steps to reduce his or her risk.
Although the bacterium has lurked in hospitals for decades, outbreaks elsewhere were virtually unheard of until the 1990’s. Even then, the incidence was small, and the infection was confined mostly to people with weak immune systems: young children, the elderly and people with H.I.V. It occurred mostly in large metropolitan areas.
But in the last five years, the number of cases has drastically increased. “It’s infecting normal, healthy people everywhere,” said Loren G. Miller, a principal investigator at the Los Angeles...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Bush's fault.
Karl Rove.
Halliburton.
Who said diverse populations were good?
one of my kids got MRSA at a major hospital's pediatric unit (before it was quite so chic) ... it's nasty business and we should all pray this is just another Goresque scare tactic.
This is an unfortunate side-effect of a society that takes anti-biotics for the most minor sniffle while using anti-bacterial soap to wash their hands.
I wonder how rubbing alcohol fares against topical epidermal nastiness like this? Gotta look it up. I have close body contact with the dreggs. I shower myself with iso after every one, from an atomizer bottle. I used to use death in a can (spray disinfectant...on my clothing and protection EQ, when used)...until somebody read the label, and banned it from the place. Time to google.....
I wonder how hydrogen peroxide would fare? (I cannot stand the smell of rubbing alcohol!)
Hepatitis can remain 'alive' in a 90% isopropyl solution for +30 days.
Hep is a virus. Staph is a bacteria, which is killed by sufficient alcohol in a hand gel, btw.
Thanks! Opened in another window so I can take a look-see!
I had a doctor (in a private conversation) tell me Sunday that this is likely to kill us all before the terrorists or the Bird Flu.
Yeah...we have bleach for decontaminating surfaces. Hard on the hands and nose, though. Hell on clothes! About one in four of our clients are infected with hepXYZ. Tuberculosis; check. Cooties; check. Crazy: check. A wonder, I'm not dead yet. [intake and monitoring for metro police dept lockup....I retire in SIX WEEKS!!! And I'm young and healthy enough that I don't think I'll keel over a month after I'm outta there. 20 is quite enough. Thanks fer sharing my joy.}
Jeez...guess I shoulda got out sooner. D'OH!
and who is prescribing these antibiotics?
"even people who are in good health and practice good hygiene have been infected — everyone should take steps to reduce his or her risk"
Yeah, thanks for that.
My personal opinion is that the focus on raising children in a super clean environment is as big a factor as the over perscription of antibiotics to this spread of infection. Your immune system develops when you are a child as it is exposed to various threats. If it never sees the threats you end up with an underdeveloped immune system.
I would try using colloidal silver both topically and orally to get rid of this. Silver kills over 600 types of virus and bacteria without the nasty side effects of antibiotics.
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