Methicillin-resistant Staphyloccocus aureus (MRSA), the antibiotic resistant form of Staphylococcus aureus is rampant in U.S. healthcare facilities, in the community, in livestock and in the environment.
“The ongoing MRSA epidemic is fueling antibiotic resistance globally as antibiotics are used indiscriminately in humans and in livestock”, states Jeanine Thomas founder of MRSA Survivors Network. “Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a current and dangerous public health crisis”.
Though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that MRSA invasive infection rates are declining in healthcare facilities, the CDC is only tracking invasive MRSA infections and the true number of MRSA infections are vastly being under reported. Community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) infection rates are not reported or tracked and are increasing according to many experts and published studies.
A USA Today investigation by Peter Eisler in 2013 revealed that the CDC reported 80,500 invasive MRSA cases in 2011, but there were nearly six times as many – 460,000 hospitalizations involving a MRSA diagnosis, according to hospital billing data collected by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The data also showed that in 2011, there were nearly 23,000 deaths from MRSA infections alone.
Community-acquired (CA-MRSA) infections continue to rise and currently over 50% of all skin infections are caused by MRSA in the United States. MRSA continues to be an ongoing epidemic with no reporting or surveillance of CA-MRSA or livestock-acquired MRSA (LA-MRSA) and very incomplete surveillance of healthcare-acquired MRSA infections. Furthermore, many of the CDC estimates of both CA and HA-MRSA infections are from data they collect from just nine geographic regions (cities or counties) and they extrapolate to the entire Unites States. MRSA Infections are still not a reportable disease, despite the fact that such infections occur much more frequently than most other diseases that are reportable. We still do not know the true magnitude of the MRSA epidemic in the United States.
Data from the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy reveals that the United States ranks third globally in the worse MRSA infection rates for industrial countries. The U.S. rate is nearly 25 times greater than in Northern European countries and have for decades controlled MRSA to low levels by screening patients for MRSA upon entering health care facilities. The United States VA Health System has successfully reduced MRSA infections by 66% by screening patients since 2007. All United S healthcare facilities must screen high risk patients and isolate those who test positive for MRSA.
A comprehensive, aggressive approach is imperative to reducing infections in healthcare facilities; strict adherence to hand hygiene, screening high-risk patients upon admission along with isolation, thoroughly decontaminating the environment and equipment and implementing a good antibiotic stewardship program.
A study recently published, “Global trends in antimicrobial use in food animals”, revealed that antimicrobial consumption globally in livestock will rise to a shocking 67% between 2010 and 2030 unless measures to reduce the trend are taken. In the U.S. 70-80% of all antibiotics consumed are given to livestock.
People living near Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and also know as factory farms in the United States are experiencing serious MRSA infections as manure is running off into streams, lakes and aerated onto farm land as fertilizer. The manure contains MRSA and other bacteria along with antibiotics and is seriously polluting the environment and is a major health risk to rural communities. MRSA has been found in grocery store meat and poultry in the United States and in European countries.
7th Annual World MRSA Day Kickoff Event and Global C. difficile Summit
The annual awareness event will be held September 26, 2015 at the Community House in Hinsdale, Illinois from 10:30am – 12:30pm and is open to the public with free admission and parking. This annual event is informative for both the public and healthcare industry and all are invited to attend.
Gold Sponsor: Roche and NBC5 Chicago.
Main Event
Master of Ceremony is Mr. Rob Stafford, evening news anchor of NBC5 Chicago.
Keynote speaker is William R. Jarvis, M.D, president of Jason & Jarvis Associates, LLC – a world renowned MRSA expert and infectious disease specialist, formerly with the CDC. Others presenting are Michael S. Pulia, M.D. from University of Wisconsin/Madison along with survivors sharing their stories. A panel discussion will follow with the public and media asking questions to the experts concerning; MRSA, C. difficile in healthcare facilities and in the community and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Award Ceremony
Recipient of the “Person of the Year” award is Michael S. Pulia M.D FAAEM FACEP, Assistant Professor, Division of Emergency Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health.
“MRSA Youth Champion 2015-2016” is Joseph Paz of University of New Mexico and Las Cruces, NM.
Downloadable posters, brochures and banners are available at www.WorldMRSAday.org and a public service announcement with Mr. Rob Stafford of NBC5 Chicago and produced by TrueProductions will air on NBC Chicago stations and can also be viewed on MRSA Survivors Network YouTube Channel and websites.
For information on how you can become a Corporate Sponsor (sponsorships and donations are tax deductible), organize an event, donate, volunteer and get involved to make a difference, contact us at: 630 325-4354, www.MRSAsurvivors.org , [email protected] , Twitter.com/MRSAsurvivors and at Facebook.com/MRSASurvivorsNetwork.
