Hospital type resistant to drugs, community type spreads easily......

      I was doing what I usually do in the morning and came across this article that I found fascinating to say the least. Came across this one a few days ago, but was not able to post it until today. The article was posted in one of many local newspaper I skim through, dated May 3, 2007.

   "Several types of bacteria can cause serious infections. But for health professionals, MRSA is the scariest and it has been getting a lot of attention nationally recently because of its increasing prevalence and virulence.
    More than other common hospital infections, "Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus" can cause life threatening complications for otherwise healthy patients.

    There are two strains:
          1.The hospital strain is difficult to treat
             because it is resistant to many anti-
             biotics.
         2. The community strain responds well to
             antibiotics, but is extremely virulent and
             spreads easily. As the community strain
             has become more prevalent, it has been
             increasingly showing up in hospitals."

     Yet they have still neglected to inform all of us around the country as to where it is coming from. Where did it start? What are we doing wrong that this strain is spreading so rapidly? It also appears as though they do not have a clue as to how to stop it.
   "An added concern is the number of people who unknowingly carry the bacteria through health care workers or hospital surfaces."
     Well, seems to me that if they were staffed with the necessary people to keep hospitals clean and as germ free as possible this would not be a problem to handle. I have seen many hospitals and medical clinics that are questionable in my opinion.
    The main problem that I have observed is hospital staff walking in and out of the buildings all day long, yet never changing their clothing or their shoes. Would you like to take a wild guess as to what you are carrying around with you just with your shoes?
    They are walking all around the parking lots, going to fast food restaurants for lunch or sometimes dinner and then bringing all they have purchased back to the clinics and hospitals they are employed at. This is itself is contamination, so why is this such a surprise?
    Even when you walk in and out of your home, think about the many germs you are bringing in with you. Just the thought of it can be unerving to some.
    The other part of the problem is the lack of hand washing. I cannot stress how important it is to wash your hands after just about any task you may perform. This in and of itself is also a very big problem with clinics and hospitals.
    Doctors, nurses and aides are so swamped with patients around the clock that after a while they skip the small, mundane tasks that are necessary for the prevention and spreading of diseases.
   "Patients who come into the hospital are tested with a nasal swab. Within hours, results are ready. Those who test positive are kept in isolation, people coming into the room must wear a gown and gloves. They also are treated with antibiotics and antiseptic showers."
    Again, this procedure is probably a very good first step, but what about the staff members? How disinfected are they when they arrive to perform their daily routine? How clean and antiseptic are they remaining as the hours are ticking away?
    Maybe they all need to take a closer look as to what is causing this to spread so rapidly. There is most certainly a problem when healthy people are dying within days, don't you think?