Prescription for Pennsylvania refers to MRSA infections. What are they?
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of hospital-acquired infection (an infection contracted in the hospital, known as an HAI) which is resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Most often this type of infection is spread from one patient to another via the hands or clothing of health care workers and/or equipment shared among patients such as stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs. MRSA lives on the skin and in the nose of healthy people, who have no symptoms from the bacteria. Some patients can become extremely ill from the infection if it gets into the blood stream and can die from it. A number of countries have virtually eliminated MRSA in hospitals proving that it is possible for Pennsylvania to do the same through simple hygienic measures such as using caps and gowns, hand-washing and using alcohol based sanitizers. There has been heightened awareness of MRSA recently as there have been a number of high-profile cases of community based MRSA. Community based M
