Staph infections spreads in poor Chicago neighborhoods

Drug-resistant staph infections have spread to the urban poor, rising almost seven-fold in recent years in some Chicago neighborhoods.







Researchers said the crowded living conditions of public housing and jails may speed up the person-to-person spread of infection.

The superbugs, first seen mainly in hospitals and nursing homes, have turned up recently among athletes, prisoners and people who get illegal tattoos.

Called methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, these staph germs can cause skin infections that in rare cases have led to pneumonia, bloodstream infections and a painful, flesh-destroying condition. MRSA is hard to treat because the bacteria have developed resistance to the penicillin drug family.
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This is the scary bug of our time

If it was anywhwere else than the US, I would blame them , but if it happens in the USA, it's probably something they just brought on themselves.

something they just brought on themselves."

Okay.

If this is an attempt at sarcasm, it's rather poorly expressed.

Katrina..

MRSA occurs most frequently among patients who undergo invasive medical procedures or who have weakened immune systems and are being treated in hospitals and healthcare facilities such as nursing homes and dialysis centers. MRSA in healthcare settings commonly causes serious and potentially life threatening infections, such as bloodstream infections, surgical site infections, or pneumonia.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_MRSA_spotlight_2006.html

have had problems with MRSA as well. I do know that the Washington Redskins had their training facilities recently thoroughly cleaned and sterilized because one high profile player had his career ended by it and several others had contracted it. This is indeed a growing problem and far from "just" a poor issue. Its something we all should be concerned about.

... For the sake of the worlds resources, for health reasons, for the environment the world needs to lower its birth rate and pretty drastically really.