MRSA » Public Health

MRSA: Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus

admin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:30:00 +0000

MRSA – Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It causes a staph infection (pronounced “staff infection”) that is resistant to several common antibiotics. There are two types of infection. Hospital-associated MRSA happens to people in healthcare settings. Community-associated MRSA happens to people who have close skin-to-skin contact with others, such as athletes involved in football and wrestling.

Infection control is key to stopping MRSA in hospitals. To prevent community-associated MRSA

Infection Control Practices

•Practice good hygiene
•Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed
•Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or bandages
•Avoid sharing personal items, such as towels, washcloths, razors, or clothes
•Wash soiled sheets, towels and clothes in hot water with bleach and dry in a hot dryer
If a wound appears to be infected, see a healthcare provider. Treatment may include draining the infection and antibiotics.

Source: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

The JIC Never Sleeps

Sun, 29 May 2011 08:00:05 +0000

It was 5:45 a.m.The familiar vibration from the cell phone woke me up. The voice message said, “There was an 8.9 magnitude earthquake that occurred near Japan. We’re not sure about the extent of damages, deaths or injuries. But it has caused a tsunami that might affect Hawaii and the west coast later this morning. [...]

Source:The JIC Never Sleeps

Practice Makes Perfect: Responding to a Mock Emergency

Wed, 25 May 2011 08:00:05 +0000

As relative newcomers to the field of public health, we’ve often dreamt — morbid as it may sound — about the day when we could be sent to respond to an actual disease outbreak. You can imagine our excitement when we found out that we would be getting that chance in our Emerging Infectious Diseases [...]

Source:Practice Makes Perfect: Responding to a Mock Emergency

Thinking About Keeping Live Poultry?

Thu, 19 May 2011 08:00:09 +0000

An increasing number of people around the country are choosing to keep live poultry, such as chickens or ducks. Along with the benefits of backyard chickens and other poultry, it is important to consider the risk of illness, especially for children, which can result from handling live poultry or anything in the area where [...]

Source:Thinking About Keeping Live Poultry?

CDC Responds to Earthquake, Tsunami, and Radiation Release in Japan

Fri, 06 May 2011 08:00:06 +0000

On March 11, CDC immediately activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Atlanta to respond to the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami and radiation release in Japan. CDC continues to closely monitor the effects of this disaster and is focused on making sure it is ready to support any requests that come in from [...]

Source:CDC Responds to Earthquake, Tsunami, and Radiation Release in Japan