Keeping Children Save From Staph

It used to be that the word staff at the high school referred to teachers. Since headlines appeared last week about the student who succumbed to a staph infection in Virginia and the announcement that a Newtown High School student was also treated, a different staph is on everyone’s minds.

Dr Robert Grossman, chairman of the Board of the Health District for Newtown, Bridgewater and Roxbury, shared his knowledge on the subject. Dr Grossman has practiced medicine in Newtown since 1959 and currently serves as an assistant medical examiner for the state of Connecticut.

“Staphylococcus aureus has been around forever,” said Dr Grossman. “When penicillin was developed, it was used against staph, later resulting in resistance to penicillin. The next drug was methicillin, which staph has developed resistance to within the last 20 years.

“MRSA, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, can still be treated with antibiotics like Vancomycin,” he added.

The spread of a potentially life-threatening antibiotic-resistant staph germ has prompted the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) to launch an education initiative aimed at protecting the public against the further spread of infection.

Emergency physicians across the country are on the lookout for cases of antibiotic-resistant infections so these patients can be isolated and treated with the few types of antibiotics that remain effective, before developing potentially life-threatening complications or spreading their infection to others.

Pathogen Turned Dangerous

The microbe, a strain of a common, previously innocuous staph germ, was responsible for 94,000 serious infections and nearly 19,000 deaths in 2005 according to the October 17 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). African Americans, the elderly, and very young children are more susceptible to MRSA infection than the general population.

Because of these interrelated concerns, ACEP is seeking to protect the public against drug-resistant infections while at the same time educating people on knowing when — and when not — to seek treatment with antibiotics for a range of illnesses.

“Many sick people come to the emergency department and want to leave with a prescription for antibiotics,” said Dr Linda Lawrence, president of ACEP. “People need to realize that doctors cannot prescribe antibiotics for colds or the flu because they are caused by viruses, which do not respond to antibiotics. We need to educate our patients and the public about why overuse of antibiotics is contributing to a public health problem.”

Should I Seek Treatment?

Because MRSA is easily spread by casual contact and can rapidly develop into serious life-threatening health conditions, Dr Lawrence advised that minor abscesses, boils, and other skin infections be monitored and treated promptly with antibacterial medications and good hygiene practices. She said patients should seek medical attention if these conditions persist, become progressive, painful or disfiguring, or if the patient develops a fever or other more serious symptoms of illness.

“Most infections are superficial,” Dr Grossman said. “Serious infections are found in debilitated people. Their resistance is lowered by other infections and they can’t fight off the staph.

“Many times, staph is in the respiratory system and sometime found on the skin,” he added. “Coughing and sneezing transmits the bacteria. If someone has a respiratory infection, don’t stand too close.”

 

The Best Medicine

Of course, the best protection is always prevention. Among the steps the public can take to prevent MRSA:

*Practice good hygiene by frequently and thoroughly washing hands with soap and hot water or using a skin sanitizer containing topical alcohol.

*Clean and disinfect cuts, abrasions, punctures, and other wounds, and cover them with a bandage.

*Avoid contact with other people’s open skin wounds, bandages, or infections.

*Avoid sharing towels, razors, makeup applicators, and other personal-care items that can transmit germs.

*Seek prompt medical attention for any wound or condition that shows signs of infection (e.g., fever, swelling, redness, or bad smell, fluid draining from the area or increasing pain).

*Be aware that common staph germs are more prevalent in public facilities, so more frequent adherence to good hygiene in such settings is recommended.

Dr Grossman echoed those precautions, “Wash your hands — anytime you are near sick people, or outdoors, or after using the bathroom. Keep things clean, practice good hygiene.”

“Food should be washed before eating,” he added. “Cuts should be washed well with soap and water. Most superficial cuts don’t need specialized treatment, wash and cover with a Band-Aid.”

The organism is ubiquitous, Dr Grossman explained. If you cultured any surface, he said, staph will likely be there.

“Kids are allowed back in school,” he said. “They usually get small infections which young, healthy bodies take care of.”

This article includes information from the AP story, “Emergency Physicians’ Precautions Aimed At Drug-Resistant Staph.”

Further coverage on the developing staph epidemic is available on this week’s Newtown Bee Health pages.