How Important Is MRSA
What is MRSA?
What is MRSA?
There are those who are hearing about MRSA for the very first time and are wondering what it is? There are others who know what it is because they have experienced first hand the devastating results of its attack.
MRSA is a Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA infection. It is caused by the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, which many refer to as a “Staph” infection.
Normally Staph bacteria are harmless when it stays on the surface of your skin. It becomes harmful when it enters the body through a wound such as a cut or open sore. Staph infections cannot only be harmful; they can and have been fatal.
Colonized (Carriers):
Individuals walking around with Staph bacteria on their skin or in their nose but have no symptoms of illnesses are said to be “colonized”, but not infected with the MRSA infection.
Who it strikes:
Those who are ill, or weakened by impaired immune systems or the elderly can become seriously ill should they come into contact with MRSA. It does not discriminate against age, social class or sex.
CA-MRSA is what is referred to as community acquired MRSA and HA-MRSA is hospital acquired MRSA. The CA and HA refer to where the Staph infection was introduced to the patient.
It is important to determine the source of the infection to help contain the spread of the infection to other healthy individuals. The problem of MRSA is nothing new; the infection has been around since the 1960s. Since then, medical personnel and scientists have been trying to deal with infection control measures that will stop the spread of MRSA.
It is not always possible to detect those who have the MRSA infection if they have not developed symptoms yet. Anyone could be a possible carrier. It is not possible to avoid contact with everyone, so the answer is prevention. The biggest preventative for MRSA is good hygiene, particularly handwashing. Using good hygiene can go along way to stop the spread of MRSA.
Treatment:
Creams, lotions and antibiotics given by injection treat MRSA. The treatment lasts 5 days. MRSA is antibiotic resistant so finding new antibiotics that MRSA is not resistant to is vital. This is why research funding is important.
Signs and Symptoms:
Most Staph infections, including MRSA, usually start out as small red bumps that resemble pimples, or mosquito bites. These “bites” then turn into deep, painful abscesses that will require medical attention and surgical draining.
Sometimes the bacterial will get deep into the body causing infections that can be life-threatening in bones, joints, heart valves and lungs.
Kim is a Registered Nurse working and living in the UK. She has been nursing for nearly 35 years and now works as a Back Care Advisor.
Source: http://www.nursing-hints.com
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