Why have cases of MRSA decreased?

Why have cases of MRSA decreased?

The reasons for the declines in hospital-onset MRSA bloodstream infections might be attributable to a variety of infection control efforts, including improvements in preventing device- and procedure-associated infections (15–17), as well as efforts to interrupt MRSA transmission in the hospital setting (5,18).

What makes someone more susceptible to MRSA?

Anyone can get MRSA. The risk increases with activities or places that involve crowding, skin-to-skin contact, and shared equipment or supplies. Some of the people who carry MRSA can go on to get a MRSA infection. Non-intact skin, such as when there are abrasions or incisions, is often the site of an MRSA infection.

Why are so many people getting MRSA infections?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 2 percent of the population chronically carries the type of staph bacteria known as MRSA. MRSA is the result of decades of often unnecessary antibiotic use. For years, antibiotics have been prescribed for colds, flu and other viral infections that don’t respond to these drugs.

What are the different types of MRSA infections?

When it occurs in these settings, it’s known as health care-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA). HA-MRSA infections typically are associated with invasive procedures or devices, such as surgeries, intravenous tubing or artificial joints. Another type of MRSA infection has occurred in the wider community — among healthy people.

How to prevent the spread of MRSA in the hospital?

Preventing HA-MRSA In the hospital, people who are infected or colonized with MRSA often are placed in isolation as a measure to prevent the spread of MRSA. Visitors and health care workers caring for people in isolation may need to wear protective garments. They also must follow strict hand hygiene procedures.

What causes methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus ( MRSA )?

Overview. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is caused by a type of staph bacteria that’s become resistant to many of the antibiotics used to treat ordinary staph infections. Most MRSA infections occur in people who’ve been in hospitals or other health care settings, such as nursing homes and dialysis centers.

Why are older patients more likely to have MRSA?

Older patients suffered significantly higher comorbidityrates at 52.8 vs. 44 percent and considerably more severe underlying disease when compared with people under the age of 75.

What should I do if I have a MRSA infection?

Draining the abscess at the doctor’s office is usually the only treatment needed for a local skin MRSA infection. More serious MRSA infections are treated with a few antibiotics that include vancomycin (Vancocin®, Vancoled®), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim®, Bactrim® DC, Septra®, Septra® DS), and linezolid (Zyvox®).

Is there a decline in MRSA infections in hospitals?

According to the CDC, invasive MRSA infections that began in hospitals declined 8% between 2011 and 2013. Alarmingly, MRSA is also showing up in healthy people who have not been hospitalized. This type of MRSA is called community-associated MRSA, or CA-MRSA.

Can a MRSA infection cause an urinary tract infection?

For example, urinary tract infections are caused by MRSA patients using the bathroom without washing their hands beforehand. A urinary tract infection can lead to the potentially life-threatening bloodstream infection.