BY MIKE CETERA
If you asked most of us two months ago about MRSA, odds are you'd get blank looks. But doctors have long known about this potentially deadly infection, which has been a problem inside hospitals for decades.
Now, however, the so-called "super bug" is popping up in area schools, seemingly on a weekly basis. Just last week, Holy Angels School in Aurora and the West Aurora School District reported cases of the infection.
But is MRSA something to be worried about, or is it the next West Nile, a disease contacted by few but turned into a legendary killer through media reports?
Newsday over the weekend called the threat a "medical crisis."
"What we have seen is Darwinism in action," Dr. Roy Steigbigel of Stony Brook University Medical Center said, referring to .MRSA's drug-thwarting capacity as a prime example of survival of the fittest.The trouble with drug-resistant organisms is frightening: The medical community is running out of drugs to control them.
"This is a major, major health crisis," said Dr. Michael Pichichero of the University of Rochester, who recently announced the emergence of a new strain of Streptococcus pneumoniae, a master of resistance. This emboldened strain outwits 18 highly complex drugs.
The newspaper also has a nice MRSA primer.
But here's the catch. News reports over the last month or so make it sound like this is something new that is sweeping the nation. Not so, according to doctors.
“It’s something to be aware about, not to be afraid about,” said Dr. Christopher Belcher, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent (Ind.).“This has been a problem that’s been increasing in prevalence over the last seven to 10 years,’’ Belcher said. "What’s new here is the public awareness of it."
So, be aware, but don't panic seems to be the message. Don't blow this latest public safety threat out of proportion.
Both of my parents - both senior citizens contracted MRSA twice in recent years... they - again senior citizens - were able to battle/overcome MRSA... don't over-react!!!