MRSA Infections on the Rise, But Treatable If Caught Early

Link: http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/1031002819.html



Summary: This article discuss' methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA. The article states that the disease was first identified in the early 1960's, and first began infecting humans in the mid 1970s. The article also describes how their are more than one type of MRSA.

HA MRSA (Hospital Aquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) and CA MRSA (Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staph Infection). CA MRSA attacks and destorys the white blood cells in our body that help us fight infections.



Questions:

What are the symptoms of this disease? Common symptoms include an inflamed skin infection that may be mistaken for a spider bite, but once inside the blood stream MRSA can cause septicemia (blood poisoning) or endocarditis (an inflammation of the lining of the heart).

How is this disease passed from person to person? This disease is passed through
Close skin-to-skin contact, Openings in the skin such as cuts or abrasions, Contaminated items and surfaces, Crowded living conditions, Poor hygiene.

List three things you learned from this article in your own words. I learned that MRSA is not something new, there are 2 different types of MRSA, and the flu kills twice as many people then MRSA

What impact does this disease have on the US economy? This disease could cause an epidemic which would speed up the need for a wide spread vaccination.