How common are staph and MRSA infections?

Answer:

Staph bacteria are one of the most common causes of skin infection in the United States and are a common cause of pneumonia, surgical wound infections, and bloodstream infections. The majority of MRSA infections occur among patients in hospitals or other healthcare settings; however, it is becoming more common in the community setting. Data from a study in 2004-2005 provides these results: 

Of 8,987 observed cases, most MRSA infections were health care–associated: 

• 5,250 (58.4%) were community-onset infections, 
• 2,389 (26.6%) were hospital-onset infections; 
• 1,234 (13.7%) were community-associated infections, and 
• 114 (1.3%) could not be classified.

Incidence rates were highest among persons:

• 65 years and older, 
• blacks, and 
• males.

There were 1,598 in-hospital deaths among patients with MRSA infection during the surveillance period.

Learn More:

• MRSA (MedlinePlus)
• Data & Statistics for MRSA (CDC)

Related Questions:

• What is MRSA?
• Who gets staph or MRSA infections?
• What is community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA)?

Last Updated: 04/18/2008