Things to Know About MRSA

[LuvNewcastle]

First, for those of you who don't know, MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It's a staph bacteria that has become resistant to the antibiotics that are commonly used to treat staph infections.

Here on the Mississippi Gulf coast we have had several people diagnosed with MRSA, and amputations of limbs or other body parts have occurred. People with friends who are doctors and nurses are telling their friends and family to stay out of the Gulf of Mexico, especially if you have any kind of cut on your body. That goes for fishermen, boaters, or swimmers.

The warning about MRSA includes all of the Gulf of Mexico, too. It's just as dangerous to go to Texas or Florida. I think this has been largely kept quiet so the tourists don't get spooked, but everyone deserves to know the truth about what they're getting into.

I think the media and government have left this issue alone for the sake of tourism and other related industries. That, to me, is totally irresponsible. If you come down to the Gulf Coast, don't get in that water. I wouldn't take that risk and neither should you.

[Callmecrazy]

1. Nonsense...

Show me numbers.
Compare the number of cases of MRSA contracted by Gulf swimmers to the total number of Gulf swimmers and I think you'll see that the risk is pretty low unless you're swimming in sewerage.

[LuvNewcastle]

8. I can't post links with my Kindle,

as far as I know. All I'm telling you are things that medical professionals are saying to people down here. If you or anyone else wants to risk getting in that water with a cut or an open sore, I can't stop you, but at least understand the danger.

[ananda]

2. I'm not surprised to learn that the Gulf is very toxic.

It's good for susceptible people to have the knowledge of the
MRSA danger.

I guess healthy people without cuts would not be in danger
although if they were stung or bitten by something or stepped
on a sharp rock or shell fragment, that could be a problem.

Even before all the toxic spills, the Gulf was a very dirty warm
body of water. I used to swim there on visits to Galveston, and
I never liked it all that much.

[LuvNewcastle]

10. There's a lot of nasty shit out there,

most notably the oil and other chemicals left behind after the attempted cleanup of the oil spill. I grew up down here too, and I don't remember people talking about MRSA when I was a kid. This is something relatively new. I used to enjoy getting out in the water, but I would never do it now, especially during the summer.

[Enthusiast]

3. That's some scary shit, MRSA.

[donnasgirl]

4. We live 30 miles east of Binghamton NY

And my Daughters boyfriend is now fighting MRSA, the doctors here seem to think it is from a bug bite.

[LuvNewcastle]

11. I didn't know it could be passed that way.

My best wishes to him and your family.

[donnasgirl]

14. We didnt either

And Thank You for your well wishes.

[LiberalArkie]

5. The gulf has been the septic tank for the coast and the Mississippi river cities for a long time.

The problem of beach polluted beaches is shockingly widespread, and the number of polluted beaches across the US continues to rise at a rapid rate. In 2011, the EPA issued a report evaluating 3,650 beaches. A horrifying forty-three percent had been issued at least one warning for conditions that posed a risk to public health during the swimming season. The year before, 37 percent of all beaches had to be closed due to pollution, up from 33 percent the previous year. Looked at another way, between 2009 and 2011, the number of beach closings due to pollution spiked by 29 percent. At that rate, we'll have no place left to swim (except chlorinated pools) 20 years from now.

While some of the beach closings were caused by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the overwhelming majority -- or 70 percent -- were due to bacterial contamination. For perspective, consider that the oil spill caused 10,000 beach closure, advisory, and notice days at 88 beaches in four states over a two year period. But bacterial contamination caused at least 27,000 precautionary and closure days in 2011 alone.

[LuvNewcastle]

12. We have sewage leaks down here sometimes,

and they post warnings about the water now and then. But there are always people who either ignore the warnings or just don't see them and they get out in the water.

[Divernan]

6. MRSA also showing up in surfers/scuba divers on California coast

back in 2007. Multiple examples discussed, sometimes by doctors, at this link.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/socal/172822-staph-infections-surfing-diving.html

[madamvlb]

7. Roughly 1 to 2 % of population is colonized with MRSA.

Many people especially hospital and healthcare workers and colonized and may never become infected. MRSA is nasty. If you are around someone with an active infection you should wear gloves, gown and mask. Prevention is key.

[blackspade]

9. My mother is going on a year with a MRSA infection...

that she 'acquired' from an IV line put in following a broken ankle.
The ankle healed fine, but now she has lost 80% function of her left arm due to ostiomalitis from the MRSA.

This shit is no joke.

[LuvNewcastle]

13. Sorry to hear that.

Best wishes to your mother. I'm hearing horror stories about MRSA more and more often.

[blackspade]

18. Thanks

She seems to be recovering, finally.
But she has lost so much bone in her shoulder that they had to replace it with a concrete spacer.
She will have to be MRSA free for a year before they will even consider a full replacement.

It makes me furious because it never should have gotten out of control.

[MurrayDelph]

15. Four years ago

I developed MRSA from a routine surgical procedure in hospital in coastal Oregon.

Fortunately, I still have my left hand, and found an excellent specialist only sixty miles away.

[pediatricmedic]

16. More worried about fecal coliform in the Gulf, MRSA isn't a big problem swimming

Most MRSA is community or hospital acquired right now. Pretty much all hospital staff are carriers along with a sizable chunk of the general population.

As far as preventing an MRSA infection, washing your hands is a big first step. Cleaning and disinfecting any cuts or scrapes also goes a long way to prevention. Not asking for antibiotics every time you get the sniffles would be helpful as well.

CDC guide on MRSA and water activities(hint: you get MRSA from other people and stuff they touch)
http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/rwi/illnesses/mrsa.html

[Divernan]

17. Check on your local hospitals to see their MRSA infection rates.

http://www.hospitalinfection.org/legislation.shtml

(This article is from 2011 - hopefully more states are reporting now)
27 state laws require public reporting of hospital-acquired infection rates.
2 state laws allow confidential reporting of infection rates to state agencies (NE, NV).
3 states have voluntary public reporting of infection information (AR, AZ, WI).
5 states have study laws on public reporting (AK, GA, IN, NM, NC).
13 states and D.C. have no laws on public reporting of hospital infections, though some have bills pending on the matter.

Of the states that have laws requiring public reporting of hospital-acquired infections, 12 states also have laws requiring the screening and/or reporting of hospital-acquired MRSA rates (CA, CT, IL, MN, NJ, NV, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA). Three states, MA, ME and NY, have legislation pending on the matter as of this update.

[Duppers]

19. K & R for the whole thread.

[Kali]

20. MSSA can be pretty devastating too

trust me

PSA folks: don't ignore any wound that gets hot and red, open or not!