In this exclusive interview, a top infectious-disease doctor reveals what you need to know about the scary antibiotic-resistant bacteria…The nation’s No. 1 health threat is antibiotic resistance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns in a 2014 report.Germs that shrug off antibiotic drugs lurk in locker rooms, hospitals, playgrounds and dormitories. They cause 2 million infections and kill at least 23,000 Americans each year, according to the CDC.Among the most worrisome of these bugs is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as MRSA. It’s an infection caused by a staph bacterium, but it resists the medications usually used to treat ordinary staph infections.MRSA has been around since the 1960s, when it was found in hospitals and nursing homes. But in the late 1990s, a second type of MRSA infection was identified, mostly among children and adults who had no existing medical conditions.A MRSA infection is easy to catch, and that has health experts worried.
Do what your mom taught you – practice good hygiene! Wash your hands often with soap and water, and avoid sharing towels or clothing that’s been in contact with an infection.Clean and bandage your cuts.If you’re in the hospital, make sure the people taking care of you are washing their hands and using gloves when touching you.Avoid contact with people with skin infections.Don’t take antibiotics if you don’t need them – when you have a cold, for example, which is a viral infection, not bacterial. If you have to take antibiotics, do so as prescribed – if it’s for 10 days, don’t stop after 3. If you [don’t take the full course of medication], you’re giving antibiotic-resistant bacteria the opportunity to multiply and take hold in your body.Check your pets – they can catch and transmit skin infections.
To learn more about staying healthy in the hospital, read Preventing a Hospital Infection and Other Mishaps.
