Straight facts on the "superbug"
Read more: Local
There's a lot of misinformation about the reality of MRSA infections. Local doctors say MRSA is really no more or less dangerous than most other kinds of common bacteria. The bug is called MRSA, or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. Some call it the “superbug” and we've all been hearing a lot about it lately.
“People think it's this killer flesh-eating bacteria that's coming in from Transylvania that's coming to invade the city, and it's not,” assures Dr. David Grossman, Lucas County Health Commissioner. ER doctors say MRSA usually looks and spreads like any other infection, through skin contact or open wounds.
“We have staph infections going on a couple of hundred a day. We don't know if they're MRSA, ninety percent of them, 'cause they're not going to get cultured, they're going to go home, put a band-aid on it, clean it, and get better,” Grossman says.
Unlike normal staphylococcus bacteria, MRSA require different drugs to treat. Lately we have seen video of schools shutting down and with crews disinfecting desks and tables. But bacteria, including MRSA, are everywhere. Table tops are coated with bacteria, and so is human skin. We can disinfect it as much as we want, but when we touch it again the bacteria can be back.
“The risk of it is really no more or less than it was twenty years ago. It's just a different strain of the same bug,” says Dr. Mary Beth Crawford, an emergency room physician at St. Luke’s Hospital.
MRSA infections are no worse than any other kind of staphylococcus infection. Those at risk are also the same, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.
“There are simple precautions we can all take to minimize risk, but the risk is still very minimal,” Crawford says.
Here are some tips for keeping free from infection:
-Wash or sanitize your hands whenever you get the chance
-Cover cuts and scrapes till they're healed
-Wipe-down gym equipment before using it
-Don't share towels, razors or other hygiene products
