Common Bacterial Infection: MRSA

Many of the bacteria that cause common bacterial infection are mutating and therefore gaining resistance. This means that the original antibiotics that were once used to treat these common illnesses are becoming increasing ineffective. This resistance delays treatment as the original antibiotics are ineffective. This can lead to the disease worsening and even death. This means that common illnesses that were once easily treated by antibiotics are no longer so easy to treat. This results in increased care for these patients, need for stronger and more expensive antibiotics which can cause serious side effects.
MRSA:
MRSA stands for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. MRSA is commonly described as a superbug because it is increasingly
This means they have an increased chance of contracting a blood stream infection with may not be fought off with antibiotics, this is the second biggest killer of dialysis patients. This can lead to the heart disease worsening which is the biggest killer of dialysis patients.
Organ and Bone Marrow Transplant Recipients:
These patients receive immuno-suppressant drugs to reduce the chance of the immune system rejecting the transplant. This makes them more vulnerable to disease. It is also estimated that 1% of all organ transplanted in the US carry disease.
What can be done to prevent antibiotic resistance?
Everyone from doctors to patients to the government has a part to play in combating and beating the threat of antibiotic resistance.
Educating the public on the mechanism of antibiotics:
In surveys carried out by the Department of Health found out 32% percent of respondents incorrectly agreed that ‘Antibiotics work on most coughs and colds’ and 43% incorrectly agreed that ‘Antibiotics can kill viruses’. These statistics show that just under half of the public do not understand the mechanism of antibiotics and what they can and cannot kill. This means that