MRSA

Monday I had Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, brief me on the MRSA bacteria. This is the drug-resistant strain that has been a worry for several years now, especially in health care settings. My interest was peaked by new research reporting the frequency and severity of the problem.

Dr. Gerberding currently administers one of the true public health treasures of the United States. CDC is seen worldwide as the gold standard of public health agencies. Julie also happens to be a world class scientist and, as it turns out, the MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococus aureus) bacteria was the subject of much of her research.

I asked for the briefing after the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study estimating MRSA caused 94,360 life-threatening infections and 18,650 deaths in 2005 within the United States (Klevens et al., 2007). The human suffering created by this bug is enough to make it a serious matter. The financial impact is also profound.

To say Dr. Gerberding is passionate about this work is a huge understatement. I could well have been listening to the head of the CIA talk about current intelligence on a terrorist cell within the United States. She speaks of the different microbial players and describes their personalities. She uses the word community as she discusses the bacteria’s efforts to undermine its competitors so it can unexpectedly overwhelm its host. Scientists are the intelligence analysts in this struggle; the medical family is the armed forces that work to protect us; and antibiotics are the weapons used to fight.

There are serious challenges in fighting MRSA. Like any microbe it is constantly adapting; “learning new tricks” is Dr. Gerberding’s phrase. Tricks like genetically learning to ignore antibiotic treatments, or the capacity to invade into deep tissues and destroy them with a potent toxin.

Some of those “tricks” MRSA learned in hospitals have been transported to staph that healthy people carry into the community, and now they too are MRSA carriers. Dr. Gerberding said this started happening in the late 1990s then began to run wild outside medical areas. She told me of a situation involving a college football team where 10 players developed MRSA through their turf burns. She mentioned prisons, schools and other populations, like Alaskan Natives, where outbreaks of skin and sometimes deeper infection occur. Once the bacteria have a foothold, they easily move to others in close contact.

Her description of the way MRSA adapts reminds me of a computer code breaker. To break a computer code, hackers try sequences of numbers, letters and symbols at high speed until it stumbles upon the combination. Billions of MRSA microbes are testing the genetic codes to find new ways to exploit weaknesses in their host.

After moving through the community and picking up new “tricks,” MRSA has begun to concentrate on medical facilities again. More than 80% of the incidents occur in hospitals, doctors’ offices, etc. Obviously, people with open wounds and weak resistance make easy prey.

This is a remarkably clever bug. Dr. Gerberding told me it will hang out on a person’s skin and then when an IV is inserted in an arm, it will slide down the needle into the system where it will begin to compromise other microbes.

The best defense against MRSA is prevention. Hospitals, doctor’s offices, and nursing homes need to have aggressive programs to deal with this. Patients deserve to know hospitals, nursing homes and doctors do a good job at prevention. Patients need to know if a hospital has a history of regular MRSA infections.

I have to quit now, but I have more thoughts on this. I want to explain how transparency of incidents is critically important. How electronic medical records play a role here. Also, some about who should pay when a patient gets sick from a hospital born infection.

Klevens RM, Morrison MA, Nadle J, et al. Invasive Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in the United States. JAMA. 2007;298(15): 1763-1771.

Comments

Mr. Secretary,
With all due respect, many pertinent comments regarding pandemic influenza were posted in response to your entry about the stockpile issues, and one comment was made about MRSA. I cannot for the life of me understand why you would choose to concentrate on that one comment about MRSA while ignoring the issue of the possibility of pandemic influenza. No one would deny that MRSA is a serious problem with the potential to become an even more serious problem. I live not 50 miles from Bedford, VA, and I understand the problem.

However, for you to respond in such a directed fashion to that one comment, with total disregard for the concerns expressed with regard to pandemic influenza, distresses me. We can read about MRSA all day long in the media, but where is the information so badly needed about the possibility of an influenza pandemic?

Where is the truth about what a high CFR pandemic could really mean, and where is the leadership that may help more people survive such an event? I referred yesterday to several websites that might be utilized by those in search of answers to those questions, but until people such as you clearly state what dangers we may face, and what steps we should take now to mitigate those dangers, some of us feel as though we are doing little other than whistling past the graveyard.

Your services are needed, Mr. Secretary, as are those of Dr. Gerberding - urgently needed.

Posted by: Claudia | October 25, 2007 at 04:45 PM

In response to Claudia's most recent comment, I would like to note that the comment requesting a blog on MRSA was posted approximately 30 minutes before the Secretary's blog addressing MRSA. I have the inclination to believe that he had previously written this blog and that it was not a response to a specific question.

I am sure that it was not the intent of the Secretary to ignore any previous comments and answer only that one - he probably just decided before seeing it to write about MRSA! I bet the Secretary of HHS has better things to do than sit around all afternoon and then respond to one blog comment the second it is posted.

Let's give him the benefit of the doubt on this one, though I will agree with you that other comments are indeed important and should eventually be addressed.

Posted by: MMP | October 25, 2007 at 05:04 PM

Mr. Secretary,

C-MRSA or community acquired MRSA has the potential to become a bigger threat then the hospital-nursing home infections. Right now 5 schools in my area in NYS have reported cases. I read informational articles about it in my local newspaper every day.

I am more concerned about a possible pandemic virus such as H5N1. Little, if any articles about this are in my local newspapers. The community preparedness issues are not being addressed. The word has not gotten around. Why isn't HHS encouraging people to prepare for this and telling them specifically how to do this?
I asked earlier about the promised "Toolboxes". Please keep us in the loop on this.
National and state plans are in place for a pandemic. Why has community planning fallen so far behind on this? Do you have any immediate plans to promote this?

Thanks for the opportunity to ask you a few questions and I hope you will be able to address our concerns.

Posted by: Science Teacher, PFI | October 25, 2007 at 05:14 PM

ahh yes, who should pay for hospital-born illnesses...an issue with many concerned parties. Hospitals, insurance companies, Medicaid/Medicare, patients, doctors, administrators, and yes, even the everyday citizen will have a stake in this issue.

I'm not sure who should be responsible for such illnesses...can't hospitals use the "Act of God" defense like so many home-owners/property insurers use to block claims? How can hospitals possibly pay for such cases when they are already struggling to stay afloat? And how can patients pay for the thousands upon thousands of dollars that are necessary for effective treatment?

Running out of options...

Posted by: Bryan | October 25, 2007 at 08:07 PM

Mr Secretary,

It has been my observation that if we began educating the public about pandemic influenza and its inherent threat when those of us in the flu community began demanding it, then most of the country would be rather tired and apathetic to the threat by now. However, there is something to be said for the maturity that comes from knowing the severity of a threat that we face and having the time to adjust to the news and even to move beyond and help others to prepare. This is what is needed. We need that spirit of community cooperation to overcome this. This won't happen if people do not have time to go through the stages of adjustment.

Sometimes the lack of forthright information being given to the general public seems like a deliberate attempt to keep the masses uninformed. Why?

I grieve because most will not have time enough to prepare for a disaster that will be spread over months and not days.

What do we do about those who do not have enough for today? We want health insurance for children, which is good, but what good will it do if they have no food or heat for their homes, or parents to watch over them?

Without appropriate warning civic and faith based groups will not know that they need so much more inventory. That inventory comes from donations. People will not be donating if they are stocking their own shelves. People need time to prepare for this!!!

Where is the wisdom in not preparing the citizens for this looming disaster?

We in the flu community have begged and begged for a frank discussion of this threat with the public. Knowledge will not create a panic, what will create a panic is not being prepared!

My next logical thought is why would this administration prefer to keep people in the dark? Thankfully this is the thought-road less taken.

Please, please, please - release the facts of what we face ahead. "It's not if but when" and by my reckoning every day without this pandemic is a gift for more preparedness.

As a citizen who has warned her community leaders of the threat and told as many people face to face of what is ahead, and even set up a pandemic flu forum so that people can find answers as to how to prepare, what more can I do to help? I do not want to work against my local government but without information coming from the government and medical communities, all of my information is falling on deaf ears---still.

Please, give them a chance! MRSA has started people thinking along community health lines...please push forward with PI information.

Posted by: standingfirm | October 26, 2007 at 09:31 AM

Secretary Leavitt, thanks for this account of your briefing on MRSA. I almost feel I was there at the table with Dr Gerberding, and I look forward to the further information you plan to post.

I am the person who asked about MRSA at the end of the last thread. I was surprised to see it as the topic of this post. But as MMP notes, Secretary Leavitt probably already had this one in the pipeline before I commented.

I've been a blogger for four years and a newspaper journalist long before that, so I know that variety is important to keeping readers interested. MRSA and pandemic flu prep are both pressing concerns, and both merit space on this blog.

Posted by: Julie Fanselow | October 26, 2007 at 12:33 PM

Mr. Secretary,

I do have one other question and since MRSA is being discussed in the media with some frequency I wonder how which threats to the average citizen are divulged and which are not.

On October 15, 2007 there was an article which reported that the White House received "secret briefings" regarding the National Security threats that are posed by such disease epidemics. Who received this briefing exactly was not reported. This statement is significant to me though "We wanted to keep it quiet to the extent we could so it wouldn't cause any panic or economic impact but make sure the people who would be most concerned like the president or the secretary knew what we were doing," said Roger Rufe, director of operations coordination at the Homeland Security Department.

Sir, I do believe that as citizens we cannot know every threat. I just have to wonder though where the heart of our government lies? Have we as a nation decided to value a stable economy over human life?

Is is possible that we, as a citizen body, are not going to be told that we face a pandemic for fear of panic, chaos and economic collapse? Have we decided that having our pleasures in economic stability is more important than the poor not having an opportunity to prepare their families?

Please tell me that I am wrong here but the juxtaposition of what I do not hear coming from our leaders in the health departments and news reports of the genuine desire to obfuscate the truth in a such a crucial location is very unsettling to me.

Respectfully submitted,

Posted by: standingfirm | October 26, 2007 at 03:02 PM

Since we are speaking of Dr. Gerberding, and since standingfirm above raised a question about national security and public health, here's a similar question stemming from something I just read.

Apparently, according to AP stories this week (click my name), the White House edited out more than half of Dr. Gerberding's planned testimony on how climate change could affect public health. From the October 25 story:

"The White House on Wednesday acknowledged that significant sections were deleted. Six of the deleted pages detailed how global warming might affect Americans and they included a section with the title, "Climate Change is a Public Concern."

HHS officials might know the truth on matters ranging from MRSA to pandemic flu to climate change, but how will Americans know if the White House is allowed to edit anything it deems objectionable?

Posted by: Julie Fanselow | October 26, 2007 at 04:43 PM

If we are truly "on our own" we should all have the information necessary to mount a defense to whatever we decide is the most pressing problem for our families or ourselves. For me, in my estimation, pandemic influenza trumps everything but others may be on their own path.

Throughout our history, citizens have come forward to aid the nation. Americans are tough and we can weather any storm but we need a government that is transparent. No one should be taken by surprise, ever. Not if knowing can make even the tiniest bit of difference.

Right of the top of my head I can think of many citizens who are helping others on the pandemic flu front. They are spending hours of their time, for no compensation whatsoever simply to be of some help. Should we be surprised that there are many more out there who would want to be part of a solution if given the chance...I think not. Americans rise to the occasion.

Posted by: standingfirm | October 26, 2007 at 05:37 PM

As with all infectious outbreaks I constantly find myself trying to balance appropriate concern with public panic in my rural family practice. Having said that, I just had my youngest MRSA patient--a two week old baby essentially with mastitis--infection of breast tissue.

Posted by: CountryDoctor | October 26, 2007 at 07:01 PM

I'm a caregiver for a MRSA patient who is also immune deficient. Many people besides me want to know what it means to be near a patient with MRSA in their homes. Dogs can be carriers. I could well be a carrier as this is the second time she has had a culture done showing MRSA. Please tell me where to get information so I can be sure I am not giving it to others or making myself too ill to help. We use antibacterial hand soap and spray the kitchen counters with antibacterial cleaner. We pet our dogs but don't kiss them or eachother. How germphobic should we be?

Posted by: mrsacarrier | October 27, 2007 at 12:10 AM

MRSA has been with us for a while. Why now?

Is the MRSA threat just the ticket for stimulating an *all health hazards* approach to informing the public that they need to pay attention to microbes right now?

My concern is that with the threat of terrorism, pandemics, and economic collapse how will people react and what should we be doing to help them to prepare while buffering some of the stress. We already seemed to be a society on the brink of chaos.

What are the symptoms of societal disaster? An increases in racial tension, religious intolerance, a brittleness of groupthink? I see all of this in daily interactions and reading the headlines.

I am concerned for my fellow citizens. I fear for those who cannot bear the stress. My question is how best to help others? That was my prayer as well.

About a year ago I started a forum for my town. I copied and credited liberally. The point was to reach a specific audience - my town. I would try to advertise on my local newspaper forum. Every time I would post about the pandemic or H5N1 the posts would be removed. I kept plugging away and then got frustrated.

MRSA is all over that forum now. So I added an area on my pandemic forum about MRSA. The post was not removed!

Can we use an outbreak of MRSA to reach people about 'health hazard preparedness'? I think so.

Posted by: standingfirm | October 29, 2007 at 10:49 AM

Isn't sanitation one of the keys to prevention of MRSA (and flu as well)? I would think HHS could come up with a public awareness program stressing the availability of of effective hand sanitation products; these products containing alcohol have been proven to kill even the most antibiotic-resistant microbes.

HHS or CDC could promote good hand washing products and healthy use of sanitizers, targeting institutions, low-income/high-density housing, school systems, and other at-risk groups and communities. I may have missed this, but has there been any organized effort to raise public awareness of these good practices?

Posted by: concerned parent | October 29, 2007 at 11:31 AM

It is my belief that the federal goverment should step in and close all school's to help rid the MRSA, that is going around USA wide.

We have had 2 reported cases here in which my children attend school.

Afeter recieving a phone call from the school Principal after the fact, and date of this wide spread infection.

The infection has come from atainable to to serious staff infection.

Where and what is the CDC and the federal goverment doing to help and ensure the protection of our children???

This Staff infection has already claimed the lives of innocent children during the past week.

Jack Estep

Posted by: Jack Estep | October 30, 2007 at 12:40 AM

Whenever bacteria encounter an antibiotic (such as methicillin) some of the bacteria may be able to survive it. The surviving, methicillin-resistant bacteria can then multiply, potentially producing bacteria with even better resistance.

We need better medication to protect our children

Posted by: Alexei Kouleshov | October 31, 2007 at 01:03 AM

MRSA and associated pathogenic bacterium are becoming evolutionist in nature. Eventually, we shall run out of solutions as the MRSA and VRSA "superbugs" evolve beyond our current technology.

But why are we still looking for preventative and curative measures, when they already exist?

How can a product be recommended to congress for stockpiling against bio-terror attack and disease outbreak by Senator Warren Hatch, endorsed by Dr.Paul K.Carlton in a letter to the U.S. Depatment of Homeland Security, quoted by Dr. R. Leavitt (professor of Biology & Microbiology), that "To date, there are no potentially pathogenic bacteria tested that this product has not killed," has undergone rigorous patent and private testing by the most advanced labs in the world, yet is not mentioned in the respect of prevention and cure for MRSA and associated pathogens by leading healthcare providers?

As quoted by Dr. Gordon Pedersen, member of SOMA, "Why wait for the world to "discover" a new treatment for the latest superbug when a simple, safe and effective alternative already exists?"

Good question. Perhaps Big Pharma have a hand in this, as they seem to exert pressure upon the FDA, when something is not in their own financial interest.

http://www.mrsamedical.com/newsilversolutioninfo.htm

As a broad spectrum antimicrobial and bio-decontaminant agent, this solution has no parallel and the test data cannot be disputed.

MRSA is just one of a host of pathogenic bacteria that this solution kills and/or prevents.

That includes pandemic influenza, Avian Bird Flu, SARS virus, Anthrax, Bubonic Plague, Malaria, Upper Respiratory Tract Infections, UTI's, TB, HIV 1, Candida Albicans and a whole lot more.

Why are tens of thousands of people worldwide privately purchasing and taking this product, when it surely should be available through hospitals and mainstream healthcare providers?

Posted by: Michael A Fowler, M.B.A. | November 04, 2007 at 10:15 AM

Mr.Secretary,
Thank you for the recent info on the MRSA outbreak. I think it is important that the american people know just how serious this issue is. I hopw we as a people can learn to talk to our health care providers on what to do to help prevent the spread of MRSA and to control the current cases.
thank you.

Posted by: david | November 04, 2007 at 08:20 PM

Please take this threat seriously. I am not in any of the typically identified risk groups, I am 39 and healthy, live alone, am a scrupulous hand-washer and I got CA-MRSA on my leg last summer. It was not a minor skin irritation as Dr. Gerberding insists is the case the vast majority of the time. It was a major abscess that required IV Vancomycin, serious surgery and weeks of very painful recovery. I found hundreds of people online who were going through the same thing and much worse. This outbreak needs to be taken very seriously right now, Secretary Leavitt, we can't afford to wait and see what MRSA unchecked can do.

Posted by: sara | November 07, 2007 at 09:59 AM

I saw the report on 60 minutes about MRSA. I thought I'd share that I have been hearing studies on the following product that is being verified by many sources as THE ANSWER FOR MRSA. See PATENT #9135195. It is a SilverSol solution called SILVER SHIELD (a type of nontoxic colloidal silver solution, but not the same as typical colloidal silver-it is much more powerful). The
EPA says that one would have to drink 1/2 of a 4 fl oz bottle daily for 72 years and urinate zero out for it to become toxic. Senator Orin Hatch has already presented it before Congress. The Surgeon General of the Airforce
is all for it for many epidemics. There are over 80 published studies now on this. The inventor is a Dr. Gorden Pedersen. After seeing his presentation, this should be in every medicine cabinet in America.
The report:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/08/60minutes/main3474157.shtml#Post

Posted by: Marie | November 12, 2007 at 03:02 PM

This site says the bacteria can stay active for 90 days. Is that true, sir?

http://mrsa-super-bugs.com/mrsa-superbugs-tips-for-schools/

Posted by: Jason McDell | November 14, 2007 at 04:20 PM

Dear Mr. Secretary,

Thank you for making this blog available. It is obvious that the American public is concerned about the emerging infectious diseases that are coming to our attention more frequently. More deaths in our communities from MRSA are fueling the questions from normally complacent citizens.

I would like to bring several things to your attention as well as to your bloggers:

There are solutions to prevent these emerging potentially deadly diseases. Air purification using radiant catalytic ionization has been effectively tested against methicillin-resistant staph aureus and many other bacteria and viruses. Nanotechnology has developed new products that are available. Protectants based on siloxyl prevent microbes from being able to exist on surfaces. Heavy touchpoints such as doorknobs, light switches, etc must be given more frequent application, but areas that are not frequently touched stay protected indefinitely.

Posted by: Beverly O'Brien | November 21, 2007 at 01:27 PM

Mr. Secretary,

As a person infected with MRSA I have a particular point of view. I was first diagnosed with MRSA in October 2006. At that time I worked for a Forbes 400 company that administers worker's comp and other types of claims for companies that choose to self-insure themselves against such types of claims. I was fired approximately 3 months after my diagnosis and informing my employer of diagnosis and being released by my physician to return to work. I have now been unemployed for 1 year. I am unable to find employment since no employer will accept the liability of hiring me to work alongside any of their current employees for fear that should someone in the same office be diagnosed with the same infection regardless of whether or not they were infected due to my presence, that they might face a lawsuit.

Having been unemployed for such a long period of time caused me to rely upon my savings to pay bills, buy food, and handle my medical needs to the extent that I now completely exhausted my ability to support myself through my own devices. My primary physician has qualified my to receive "temporary disability benefits" but once those have been exhausted I will have no other recourse. The Social Security Administration does not consider MRSA infection a disability in order to qualify for their disabilty benefits. So that leaves me with no avenue that I may pursue that will allow me to be able to financially support myself. If I don't qualify for benefits and I am "unemployable" and I don't know of any type of self-employment for which I am qualified where I have no contact with other people what am I to do? I am 40 years old and I have worked my entire life and I'm not looking for a handout. I would prefer to work over receiving public benefits but I'm not really being given a choice in this matter. So, if I am not allowed to work and I do not qualify for benefits about the only option I have is to allow this infection to run its morbid course so that I can be cremated. At least then I'll no longer be a burden to the government officials that keep telling me that there isn't anything that they can do for me.

Respectfully yours,

David Keith

Posted by: David Keith | January 30, 2008 at 10:24 AM

Here's some GOOD NEWS! There are 2 new DIY test kits...one lets you test air, surfaces and water for MRSA/VRE...the lab [used by the FAA] that tests the sample emails you a report about what it found...and finally the technology used by NASA in the Space Station to keep its air clean and free of MRSA and other germs is available for home use...the other kit uses Petri Dishes to test indoor air for germs, virus, mold, etc. which is good for asthmatics and allergy sufferers...I guess you could even say it's good for anyone who breathes. The best part is that the devices designed for home use with the NASA air purification technology are not very expensive...and the bonus is that they also have been scientifically proven to eliminate germs [incl avian flu], virus and fungus and even odors, mold and mildew. What a Godsend for those with pet, cooking, or smoking odors...include fireplace odors in that last one. Like I said...here's some GOOD NEWS!

Posted by: Unclewill | March 06, 2008 at 05:11 PM

For "UncleWill" I have a question. If there is currently no cure for MRSA and you are testing surfaces that you, presumably, have already had contact with and the test comes back positive for the MRSA bacteria what do you do then?

MRSA is a bacterial infection. The human body even requires certain types of bacteria in order to survive. Bacteria, also referred to as "germs" by nearly every person's mother or grandmother as we grew up are everywhere. They can be passed from person to person in a variety of ways. MRSA in particular can be passed from one person to another through direct skin contact as well as through contact with "intermediate" objects/surfaces.

Direct skin-to-skin contact, despite both the media and the medical community's emphasis on gyms and sporting activities, can and does occur regularly in casual, every day settings. Direct skin-to-skin contact includes every hand that you shake, every caress that you enjoy, every kiss that you give or receive, every forehead that you feel to check for a fever, every neck that you trap in a headlock as you wrestle with your friends, and every helping hand that you offer or accept when recovering from a fall.

Intermediate contact with a surface or object means that you touch or that comes into contact with your bare skin that has also been touched or has come into contact with the bare skin of someone that is either currently suffering from a MRSA infection or simply carrying the bacteria on their skin unbeknownst to them. Such intermediate contacts can be made thru/with clothing, towels, furniture, keyboards, mice, monitors, dishes, silverware, coffee cups, door handles/knobs, water faucets, water fountains, phone keypads, phone handsets, pens, elevator buttons, escalator hand grips, windows, toilet seats, refrigerator handles/doors, soda bottles/cans, cell phones, video games, and remote controls, etc.

Nearly all of the "disinfectants" available to the public that have been approved by the EPA for effectively disinfecting "hard surfaces" that have been contaminated with the MRSA bacteria require that the surface remain "wet" with the disinfectant for at least 10 minutes in order to work. Anyone that has ever cleaned a table or countertop or refrigerator door knows that very few, if any ever actually spray that surface and let it sit for a full 10 minutes. Most of us will spray a surface with a cleaner and come right behind that with a paper towel and wipe it up immediately.

So, if there is no cure for MRSA and any surface that you test with this new mail-in testing kit you will most likely have already allowed to come into contact with your bare skin and thus already carrying the bacteria what will you accomplish? I believe that is the same reason that both the medical community and the government has not closed the schools where MRSA infections have killed students. And why an annual death toll that has exceeded HIV/AIDS deaths since 2005 hasn't been widely reported upon as anything people should be concerned about unless they spend an inordinate amount of time in a gym or participate in sporting activities like those found in high schools and colleges.

Informing the public of the true infectious nature of MRSA and the ease with which it can be transmitted from one person to another could very likely lead to a public panic that would be difficult to prevent. But failing to inform the public of the danger that this bacterial infection poses to the people not only of this country but to the inhabitants of the entire world will definitely lead to a death toll that makes that of HIV/AIDS look like a bad case of the sniffles. Pandemic flu is an epidemic that is, at the moment, theoretical. MRSA is an actual epidemic that is currently spreading across the country.

Posted by: Dave | March 24, 2008 at 05:29 AM

Hey, Isn't sanitation one of the keys to prevention of MRSA (and flu as well)? I would think HHS could come up with a public awareness program stressing the availability of of effective hand sanitation products; these products containing alcohol have been proven to kill even the most antibiotic-resistant microbes.

HHS or CDC could promote good hand washing products and healthy use of sanitizers, targeting institutions, low-income/high-density housing, school systems, and other at-risk groups and communities. I may have missed this, but has there been any organized effort to raise public awareness of these good practices?

Posted by: Rick | July 26, 2008 at 01:05 AM

With all the talk being of preventing MRSA what about the folks that are already infected and suffering. My previous husband called me looking for help so i am turning to u. He has it in the groin area and spent 9 weeks in the hospital. He is home now but worried about it coming back. can this happen and what can he do to prevent that from happening. Any info you can give me about preventing this from coming back or any help at all will be greatly appreciatted. He is 70 years old. Thank you for your help Mickey

Posted by: mickey | December 10, 2008 at 10:40 AM