MRSA scare !

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Just wondering if you who work in the hospital/LTC facilities are seeing and increase in CA-MRSA. I work as a school nurse and the panic among teacher's and parents is unreal !

Thanks for your input,

___________

Praiser ;)

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Specializes in Jack of all trades, and still learning.

I'm pretty sure that over the years there has been. When I first started as an EN I don't remember all that many; now we have a whole section on our ward specifically identified for MRSA patients. And that is just our ward. I know you are talking Community Acquired - its not differentiated for us; you either have it or you don't. And basically we isolate ppl who have had it until they have been cleared.

I don't understand parent's panic though. As I understand it, MRSA usually is found with ppl who are diabetic, immunocompromised, or who have had many antibiotics etc. Most ppl don't come into that category. Could it be due to the media hyping things up? Maybe an education programme is required; if anything just to encourage children to be brought up with a healthy diet and exercise.

Are the parents aware of a child who has had MRSA and treating that child as a pariah?

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Specializes in cardiac/critical care/ informatics.

There are increasing case of kids with Mrsa usually a skin infection and ear infections. The kids aren't necessarily immunocompromised.(sp)

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Drug-resistant organisms are fast becoming the norm. I am getting a bit irritated at the media turning this into a panic.

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Specializes in cardiac/critical care/ informatics.
Drug-resistant organisms are fast becoming the norm. I am getting a bit irritated at the media turning this into a panic.

DITTO

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Hi, I am new to this site. Just recently moved here in TX. Yes, we get a lot of MRSA patient in our unit. It takes so much of your time wearing PPE in each MRSA patient you come in contact with but it is better safe though. Just yesterday I had two patients on contact isolation. One is MRSA and the other is VRE.

Anyway, I heard the same news that is apparently spreading in schools??? Don't know who started the issue but yeah they can spread that organism around if they have a family member living in the same roof who is ill, not detected and is not treated at all.

Tell parents and kids the best way to avoid the spread of this microscopic germ is to..."ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS."

Nothing to be scared, just live a healthy and Clean life!

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Specializes in FNP, Peds, Epilepsy, Mgt., Occ. Ed.

I agree that the media hype is scaring people to death. Every pimple and infected hair follicle is now suspect.

I have seen it in the clinic in the last year or so. Usually the CA-MRSA lesions get really big, red, and painful fast. I haven't had any that wasn't treatable in the clinic.

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DITTO
What they should be doing, instead of playing up the sensationalism, is instructing the public why this is a problem in the first place. I'd like to see serious reports on the over-use of antibiotics in our food supply; how important it is to take antibiotics as ordered (not just til you "feel better") and for God's sake, to STOP demanding an antibiotic for every damned sniffle--- that's the reporting I'd like to see.

All those years of irresponsible antibiotic use...It's all coming home to roost. And it's only going to get worse.

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Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.

i could not agree more!!!! i have had at least 2-3 patients every time i clock in that has mrsa somewhere. it has been this way for at least the last 7-8 years. i just dread now finding a patient with mrsa and having to tell their family members what organism it is. i guess i could look at it like as being entertainment watching them freak out and stomp their feet while they are on the phone with everyone they know explaining how their family member will die of mrsa!!

drug-resistant organisms are fast becoming the norm. i am getting a bit irritated at the media turning this into a panic.
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i just dread now finding a patient with mrsa and having to tell their family members what organism it is.

exactly.

thanks, cnn :stone

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I have seen it so frequently that all boils are presumed MRSA now. Nothing a good old I and D cant take care of.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

In regards to the panicking families in the schools, I've been doing a lot of explaining that sometimes a mosquito bite is just a mosquito bite. :uhoh3:

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