Nov. 11, 2007
MRSA: Fighting The Superbug
As Reports Of Infection Rise, Expert Says More Research Is Needed To Find The Root Cause
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MRSA Disinfections Useless?
Health officials tell Lesley Stahl disinfecting buildings after MRSA outbreaks is not only expensive, but also ineffective.
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Lesley Stahl's Notebook
Lesley Stahl discusses her report on MRSA, a dangerous form of staph infection that has mutated, making it resistant to many common forms of treatment.
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Controlling The Superbug
Researchers struggle to control a deadly, drug-resistant superbug known as MRSA that has caused fear across the country. Lesley Stahl reports.
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MRSA Q&A
Answers to commonly asked questions about methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus skin infections.
As correspondent Lesley Stahl reports, it's a superbug that used to strike exclusively hospital and nursing home patients. Three years ago, 60 Minutes reported on a then-relatively new community-based MRSA that attacks perfectly healthy people who had not set foot in a hospital.
That's what we're seeing more and more of. New government data estimate that about 2,000 people are dying of community-based MRSA every year. But with the deaths of five school children this year, parents are understandably frantic and want to know what causes it, and how to protect against it. Problem is: there aren't many answers.
Mt. Lebanon High School in Pennsylvania has been hit hard: 13 members of its football team, the Blue Devils, came down with MRSA infections this year.
Alex Birks and Glenn Isralsky, tight ends on the varsity squad, say the school was spooked.
"I was a little scared. The guy in the locker next to me had it -- a few down. So, I mean, I was takin' my stuff home every night, washin' it, takin' showers all the time," Glenn tells Stahl. "I didn't want to get it. I actually had it sophomore year and I did not want to get it again. So."
"I didn't have a bad case of it. But, I had it," he says.
The first sign was on his elbow after a game in which he'd cut himself on the school’s AstroTurf field. "It starts, it looks nothing more than a pimple. And in a day or two, it can become a huge growth on your skin," Glenn explains.
When diagnosed at this stage, before it gets into the bloodstream, MRSA is usually mild, and easily treated with general-purpose antibiotics, like Bactrim. And kids are told to bandage the sore.
Alex says his parents do look over him. "I'll be sittin' at dinner and my dad will just look up as my mom looks over and says, 'What is that? Lift up your arm.' You know?" he explains.
Both Glenn and Alex admit they're pretty neurotic about MRSA.
The high school brought in Dr. Bruce Dixon, director of the public health department for Allegheny County, to calm the waters.
Why does he think it's hitting young athletes?
"In contact sports people get abraded. They get dragged across a surface. They get banged up," Dr. Dixon explains. "They get cut. They get abrasions."
"And then you touch another athlete," Stahl remarks.
"They touch somebody else. They touch an article of personal hygiene, a towel or something else that somebody else has used. And they get infected," Dixon explains.
Players from four NFL teams have also been infected. But MRSA is not limited to athletes. It tends to strike people who are in close physical contact, like children in day care centers, prisoners in jails, and recently seven New York City firefighters.
"Everyone agrees that this an epidemic. And not only is it an epidemic. But, it's an epidemic of our times. It's here in huge numbers," says Dr. Robert Daum, an infectious disease pediatrician at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Produced By Karen Sughrue
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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See all 124 CommentsI wonder if it could be sprayed around, but it is sticky...
Girl has baby, and has no where to go, so my friend takes her in - and the baby. Girl has MRSA from hosptial - severe case - now my friend does too.
Antibiotics are not compeltely controlling it. She''s had 4 repeat breakouts of it in 1 year.
not only that - my daughter''s high school had it last week - it''s unbelievable.
And now it is outside the hospitals, attacking extremely healthy - and often actively athletic -kids, but still I''ve not heard that otherwise healthy hospital staff are being infected?
Something kinky this way blows...
To those currently suffering go natural. Manuka Honey +15, Tea Tree Oil or Emu Oil. Simply apply to wound or rash. Stay away from Big Pharma poison junk and Monsanto GM foods.
If you wonder why this wasn''t a problem in the previous generations, it is the way we percieve the delivery of healthcare in the US. The Burger King "I want it my way, right away" has done little more than hurt us.
Don''t blame big business or the doctors or the hospitals, they TOLD you, and you just ignored them. You instead trusted 20 minutes with "Google, MD" versus someone who actually attended medical school and completed a residency.
Tommy Thompson, Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (2001-2004) says MRSA can be eradicated. Not many are more credible or in a better position to know that than he is.
Per PURE Bioscience, and Secretary Thompson, "recent news reports%u2026INCORRECTLY STATE that there is no solution to the current epidemic which causes illness and deaths due to resistant Staph infections.%u201D In fact, %u201CMRSA and other hospital and community acquired infections are PREVENTABLE DISEASES..."
The solution is SDC, which kills Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Community Associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) and Community Associated PVL Positive MRSA (PVL MRSA) within 2 minutes of application.
SDC, once applied, CONTINUES KILLING MRSA FOR 24 HOURS. None of the disinfectants currently in use does this, a glaring deficiency likely responsible for the near-epidemic status of MRSA.
What''s critical is the PRODUCT that schools are cleaned with. If SDC were used, schools would remain MRSA-free for 24 hours. SDC could then be reapplied overnight. And so on.
The Tulsa County Jail reported recently that SDC eradicated MRSA there over the last 14 months. In the past that jail would have seen about 168 new MRSA cases.
With all due respect, how can the findings of the EPA and the firm opinion of a man with Tommy Thompson%u2019s credentials responsibly be ignored by CBS on an issue of such immediate national importance?
Tommy Thompson, Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (2001-2004) says MRSA can be eradicated. Not many are more credible or in a better position to know that than he is.
Per PURE Bioscience, and Secretary Thompson, "recent news reports%u2026INCORRECTLY STATE that there is no solution to the current epidemic which causes illness and deaths due to resistant Staph infections.%u201D In fact, %u201CMRSA and other hospital and community acquired infections are PREVENTABLE DISEASES..."
The solution is SDC, which kills Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Community Associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) and Community Associated PVL Positive MRSA (PVL MRSA) within 2 minutes of application.
SDC, once applied, CONTINUES KILLING MRSA FOR 24 HOURS. None of the disinfectants currently in use does this, a glaring deficiency likely responsible for the near-epidemic status of MRSA.
What''s critical is the PRODUCT that schools are cleaned with. If SDC were used, schools would remain MRSA-free for 24 hours. SDC could then be reapplied overnight. And so on.
The Tulsa County Jail reported recently that SDC eradicated MRSA there over the last 14 months. In the past that jail would have seen about 168 new MRSA cases.
With all due respect, how can the findings of the EPA and the firm opinion of a man with Tommy Thompson%u2019s credentials responsibly be ignored by CBS on an issue of such immediate national importance?
It would be great if 60 Minutes could spread awareness about this product.
As a nurse practitioner in a rural community I greatly appreciate your coverage on Methicillin resistant Staph Aureus. However, will you please instruct your staff reporters on the correct pronunciation of MRSA? It is EXACTLY as it sounds. M. R. S. A.....NOT "mursa". Please, please, please have your staff correct this. It''s driving the medical community in Paducah, KY CRAZY!!!!
Thanks so much for your time.
Barbara Dillard ARNP
It is safe for the environment and extremely effective.
Why is some woman from South Africa or Australia or New Zealand or wherever the hell Lara Logan is from reporting on subject matter that is exclusively American anyway? Where did this woman materialize from?
Please CBS, do away with this program--scrub the format that you have been using for the past 40 odd years, toss the existing cast and start over. The whole Dan Rather mess should have taught you some sort of a lesson. Take head now, 60 minutes is a terrible program, create another to replace it. If you need an example of what to do, watch some episodes of Frontline.
B. Dillard
What bothers me is they are saying it is okay for kids to go to school with open wounds with MRSA. I want to know why I had to be in isolation. anyone that came into my room had to wear a mask, a gown and gloves. When they left the room all of the clothing had to be thrown away. MRSA os a killer. Both of my kidneys shut down and I had to have Nephrostomy tubes placed just to empty my kidneys. Those tubes were just removed this past February. My last surgery correcting what MRSA had destroyed was June, 2007. WAKE UP PEOPLE THIS IS AN EPIDEMIC OF THE UTMOST CONCERN. If a school has a confirmed case they should completely close the school. If the schools are not required by law to report MRSA then we are all in trouble.
I would love to tell my story because everyone needs to be properly informed. MRSA is a killer.
Beverly Weisbach
Also an opportunity to educate the public was lost when the transmission of MRSA via sharing of towels was not discussed. All athletes and other communal residnets should be instructed to use their own towel, do not share! Wash the toewls in hot water and using a dryer instead of line drying will kill MRSA.
It the comment from Dr. Baum ("To think we control community MRSA epidemics by asking people to wash their hands is foolish. I''m not gonna sit here and say washing your hands is bad. Because it''s wonderful. But, it''s not going to control the community MRSA epidemic," Dr. Daum says.) greatly disturbs me!! How can he say that hand washing is not going to make a difference!! Of course it''s going to make a difference. No, hand washing alone will not put an end to the MRSA outbreak but with PHYSICIANS like himself going on national television telling everyone that it is "foolish", I promise that MRSA will only get worse, not to mention a lot of other infections.
His comments were simply irresponsible. It was obvious that he is trying to generate research money and not trying to help the community find small ways they can help control MRSA. Yes, we need research but we also need everyone to do their part and that means WASHING YOUR HANDS FREQUENTLY!!!
The housekeepers at the hospital had no idea that the cleaning solutions that they were using require a 10 minute wet application prior to drying from inanimate objects in the room including phones, remotes, bed rails, and counter tops. They also did not know how to remove gowns and gloves in a manner that would minimize potential self-contamination. They are also timed in regards to room "turn-over" and are punished for taking too much time in regards to cleaning rooms for the next patient.
These visitors and patients are going home without treatment for the MRSA infection or colonization. They are going to grocery stores, renting videos, and eating at buffet restaurants.
The housekeepers at the hospital had no idea that the cleaning solutions that they were using require a 10 minute wet application prior to drying from inanimate objects in the room including phones, remotes, bed rails, and counter tops. They also did not know how to remove gowns and gloves in a manner that would minimize potential self-contamination. They are also timed in regards to room "turn-over" and are punished for taking too much time in regards to cleaning rooms for the next patient.
These visitors and patients are going home without treatment for the MRSA infection or colonization. They are going to grocery stores, renting videos, and eating at buffet restaurants.
The housekeepers at the hospital had no idea that the cleaning solutions that they were using require a 10 minute wet application prior to drying from inanimate objects in the room including phones, remotes, bed rails, and counter tops. They also did not know how to remove gowns and gloves in a manner that would minimize potential self-contamination. They are also timed in regards to room "turn-over" and are punished for taking too much time in regards to cleaning rooms for the next patient.
These visitors and patients are going home without treatment for the MRSA infection or colonization. They are going to grocery stores, renting videos, and eating at buffet restaurants.
he is now able to walk, but cautiously, and has problems with his bowels and bladder. His 30 year old son has also contracted the virus and has had it for two years and with doctors treating him with bactrum everytime he gets boil. How many times will it take for someone to wake up and realize that Bactrum is not the care all! He needs vancomycin because it is definately in his blood stream, but when we tell his doctors (there have been many) to treat him with vancomycin they brush us off and again give him bactrum. I am sick to death of the doctors in this world not giving a *** about their patients and just doing what they want instead of what the patient needs! Please!!!!!
In hospitals I have seen bloody bandages lying on the floor. When hospital administrators earn over a half million dollars a year, is it a surprise that corners appear to be cut on disinfecting or even just cleaning the hospital?
On the whole, I see this MRSA situation as one resulting from a bad approach to medical care and Government. A meaningful scientific examination of MRSA should consider autoimmune weakening by overuse of hormones and antibiotics. For example, flies found in fast food restaurant were found to carry MRSA: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/45275.php
Basically, Mr. Dixon seems to suggest that MRSA is spread by people. Perhaps he means to suggest that it is the individuals problem - not a health department policy problem. I suggest that he start looking at the food and the healthcare industries.
The mrsa bacteria isn''t resistant to penicillin, it is resistant to methycillin, hence the name Methycillin Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus.
deb marblehead, ma
The mrsa bacteria isn''t resistant to penicillin, it is resistant to methycillin, hence the name Methycillin Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus.
deb marblehead, ma
The mrsa bacteria isn''t resistant to penicillin, it is resistant to methycillin, hence the name Methycillin Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus.
deb marblehead, ma
The mrsa bacteria isn''t resistant to penicillin, it is resistant to methycillin, hence the name Methycillin Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus.
deb marblehead, ma
The mrsa bacteria isn''t resistant to penicillin, it is resistant to methycillin, hence the name Methycillin Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus.
deb marblehead, ma
The mrsa bacteria isn''t resistant to penicillin, it is resistant to methycillin, hence the name Methycillin Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus.
deb marblehead, ma
The mrsa bacteria isn''t resistant to penicillin, it is resistant to methycillin, hence the name Methycillin Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus.
deb marblehead, ma
The mrsa bacteria isn''t resistant to penicillin, it is resistant to methycillin, hence the name Methycillin Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus.
deb semine marblehead, ma
The mrsa bacteria isn''t resistant to penicillin, it is resistant to methycillin, hence the name Methycillin Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus.
deb semine marblehead, ma
The mrsa bacteria isn''t resistant to penicillin, it is resistant to methycillin, hence the name Methycillin Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus.
deb semine marblehead, ma
The mrsa bacteria isn''t resistant to penicillin, it is resistant to methycillin, hence the name Methycillin Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus.
deb semine marblehead, ma
The MRSA bacteria isn''t resistant to penicillin, it is resistant to methycillin, hence the name Methycillin Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus.
deb semine marblehead, ma
The MRSA bacteria isn''t resistant to penicillin, it is resistant to methycillin, hence the name Methycillin Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus.
deb semine marblehead, ma
The MRSA bacteria isn''t resistant to penicillin, it is resistant to methycillin, hence the name Methycillin Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus.
deb semine marblehead, ma
They probably spend large amounts of time sitting on acrylic carpeted floors playing video games and watching TV, live inside air conditioned homes and cars, go to school in hyper-disinfected buildings, bathe with antibacterial soaps, swim in chlorinated pools, and play sports on plastic grass!! Do they ever come in contact with actual dirt? It''s no wonder they have wimpy immune systems.
When kids play normally on real grass growing in real dirt, they normally get the occasional scrape on the knee or elbow. When that happens, the human body is directly exposed to thousands of bacteria. Then what happens? Well duh-- the body''s immune system learns how to fight off thousands of bacteria. That''s life.
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