AlterNet: Deadly Staph Infection 'Superbug' Has a Dangerous Foothold in U.S. Jails

Deadly Staph Infection 'Superbug' Has a Dangerous Foothold in U.S. Jails

By Silja J.A. Talvi, AlterNet. Posted December 4, 2007.

With 19,000 deaths attributed to staph infections annually, there's cause for serious alarm. So why aren't we talking about our nightmarish prison system, the biggest incubator of them all?



Dr. Jeff Duchin, the communicable diseases chief for Seattle/King County Department of Public Health holds his soap-lathered hands in an attention-grabbing newspaper cover photo. Above his dignified image is a highly magnified picture of fuzzy bacterium. The bacterium doesn't appear to be particularly frightening, but it is. This "superbug," known as methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), has the power to disable, disfigure and kill the people who come into contact with it.

Like so many other regional and national newspaper and magazine stories about MRSA's creeping presence in the nation, this feature in the Nov. 26, 2007, issue of the Seattle Times was chock-full of useful, preventative information. Among the key, common sense suggestions were for readers to remember that MRSA isn't limited to the transfer of blood or bodily fluids. While not airborne in the way that tuberculosis is (although MRSA has been known to be transmitted by sneezing), the bacterium spreads with tremendous ease by way of skin-to-germ contact. The article advised people to remember to wash their hands regularly; to avoid unbleached public washing facilities; not to share towels, razors, or any kind of shared drug paraphernalia; and to have the "courage" to be willing to ask medical personnel if they've washed their hands before touching you.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC has rightfully called MRSA (pronounced mer-sa) the "cockroach of bacteria." It spreads silently and stealthily, and moves quickly from one location to the next. Once it's around, it's also incredibly difficult to get rid of because this virulent mutation of staph is resistant to all but the most rare and expensive antibiotics. Sometimes, even the super drugs don't work against this superbug, resulting in some 19,000 deaths in 2005, amounting to more than one in five of the estimated 94,000 Americans walking around MRSA lurking on skin surfaces and in nasal cavities.

Media headlines have emphasized the existing or potential presence of MRSA in hospitals and schools: at least three students are known to have died from the bacteria. "rug-resistant strains of the bacteria are finding new homes in the community -- particularly among kids," as a recent Time article, "Staph on the March," warned readers. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/rights/69576/

made from some kind of yellow flowers, that combats this disease. I forgot the name of the flower but they say it is as effective as penicillin etc used to be. They also found another drug made again from some flower that is effective.

I suppose as more drugs loose their potency they will find another one. But it makes no sense to wait, they should be doing it now.

They deserve what they get for not being rich and white.

(do actually NEED to add a sarcasm tag to this?)

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