Now In: facts

Did You Know?

  • The direct cost of Healthcare Associated Infections in the USA alone is between $35 billion and $45 billion each year.” …Scott. R.D.II (2009)
  • In the United States, more people die from hospital infections than breast cancer and AIDS combined.
  • “25% of the population is colonized with Staphylococcus aureus.” …CDC, 2008
  • “15% of patients admitted to hospitals are carrying MRSA but show no symptoms.”
  •  “The number of HAI’s and CAI’s continue to increase despite hand washings and surface disinfection.”…Infectious Disease Society of America
  • “Out of 13,000 patients from 1,200 Intensive Care Units in 75 countries, more than half of all the patients had an infection.”…Jama, 2009. 
  • “E-coli O157.H7 cause roughly 70,000 infections each year in the USA alone.”…CDC
  • About I in 20 patients will contract a Healthcare Acquired Infection (HAI) during their stay in a hospital.
  • “Nearly 2,000,000 people Acquire Healthcare Associated Infections in the USA each year and almost 100,000 of them die from it.”…Pub Health Rep….2007
  • “50,000 people die each year from Healthcare Associated Infections in Europe.”…First World Forum on HAI’s…2007.
  • About 36,000 people per year in the US die from influenza….CDC

Types of Frequently Seen Bacteria:

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) - This strain of lethal staphylococcus or staph is responsible for approximately 120,00 hospital infections per year. Patients can die within days of being infected. 


Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) - Responsible for 10% of all hospital infections. Bacteria usually infects the blood, urinary tract and wounds. Patients with compromised immune systems are particularly susceptible to infection. 


Klebsiella pneumoniae - Lethal hospital-borne bug that infects the urinary tract, bloodstream and gut. Reported cases are up 50% in the last five years and there is a 66% mortality rate in untreated patients. 

Clostridium difficile (C. diff) - Linked to 400,000 cases of severe diarrhea each year. New mutation of this bacteria produces 20 times the toxin of the old version. Infection is often fatal.


MRSA Infection Statistics

What is MRSA?
In short, MRSA is a revved up version of the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, but not revved up in a good way.  Staphylococcus aureus is a bacteria that is on the skin of about 30% of people.  Because of misuse of antibiotics (among other reasons), this bacteria has developed resistance to most of the common antibiotics being used such as methicillin, penicillin and amoxicillin.

Who Gets a MRSA Infection?
MRSA is spread primarily from contact with surfaces or skin that is contaminated with the MRSA bacteria.
The MRSA bacteria itself can survive up to 9 days on non-porous surfaces like doorknobs, medical charts,
 tables and counters.  To talk about who gets MRSA, we need to separate our thinking into two types of MRSA
–- healthcare associated MRSA (HAI) and community associated MRSA (CAI).  Basically, you get healthcare
 associated MRSA from being in a healthcare environment (the hospital, for example), and you get community
 associated MRSA from non-healthcare settings (like exposure to gym equipment).

Who Gets Healthcare Associated MRSA (HA-MRSA)?
The people most at risk for healthcare associated MRSA are people with weakened immune systems who are
in the hospital for a long time.  Risk of HA-MRSA is substantially increased if a person is in the hospital more
than 14 days.  The average age of someone with HA-MRSA is 68.

Who Gets Community Associated MRSA (CA-MRSA)?
Community associated MRSA (CAI) is a new and growing type of MRSA infection.  It is the one primarily causing
outbreaks within athletic teams.  CA-MRSA comes from a combination of activities in which a cut or open wound
are likely (such as contact sports), combined with being in close contact with others’ skin, towels or equipment. 
The average age of people with CA-MRSA is 23 years old. 


Facts on MRSA

By Mark Stibich, Ph.D., About.com Guide, March 23, 2009

MRSA Infections Today
 
It is estimated that 75% of patient rooms are contaminated with MRSA and VRE. Studies show that if a healthcare worker walks into a patient’s room and has no physical contact with the patient, her gloves will still be contaminated 42% of the time, just from touching surfaces in the room.   In 2005, there were 368,600 hospital stays for MRSA infection.  This was triple the number of MRSA infections in 2000 and 10 times the number from 1995.  Around 60% of all “Staph” infections in hospitals are now MRSA infections.  Overall, MRSA is estimated to make up about 8% of all hospital acquired infections.

What Does the Future Hold?

More of the same, lots more. There are no signs that MRSA and other infections are on the wane. As soon as one infection gets under control, it seems there are two to replace. While MRSA remains a huge concern (with no signs of slowing), two more superbugs are already poised to dethrone it: C. Diff. and A. Baumannii.