Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Legislation Would Help Hospitals Curb Deadly Bacterial Infections

...He said the hospital was where flesh-eating bacteria got into his father's leg, which later had to be amputated, and where his father caught an antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria that eventually killed him five months later....

...MRSA is a strain of staphylococcus aureus that is resistant to a variety of powerful antibiotics, including methicillin and vancomycin. It is often found on the skin and in the noses of healthy people.

But when it gets under the skin through scratches or surgical wounds it can cause boils and deep tissue infections that persist for months. Infections that get into the blood stream or the lungs can be fatal....

...Sometimes patients improperly medicate themselves, taking antibiotic they were given for an earlier infection but did not finish - a behavior that also encourages antibiotic resistance.

But doctors also contribute to the problem by bowing to pressure from patients and...

Legislation Would Help Hospitals Curb Deadly Bacterial Infections..Read More

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