Helen Chan,
Chemical Laboratory Scientist and Public Health Microbiologist
Shawn Elkin,
Public Health Nurse
MRSA
While most Staph infections can be treated with antibiotics, there are resistant strains, such as MRSA. That’s why the Fresno County’s Public Health Lab is so important. It is there that scientists like Helen Chan detect and monitor disease- producing agents which have the potential to affect the health of an entire community.
Chan, a Chemical Laboratory Scientist and Public Health Microbiologist says, “My job is to screen out which one is MRSA which one is not. Most of the Staph we are looking at now is a community acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staph Aureus.”
Insert Photoshop Art of “Superbug” from P Drive (created by Wayne)
MRSA is called a Superbug because it is resistant to most antibiotics. “That means the doctor can not use any penicillin, oxacillins, methicillin or any kind of cephalosporin.” It can be cured with other antibiotics, but early diagnosis is critical.
Shawn Elkin is a Public Health Nurse with the Fresno County Department of Community Health. Among his many responsibilities is tracking the cases of infectious diseases to ensure they do not threaten public health. “As to the extent of this illness locally, our major concern is that if we don’t start addressing MRSA, or even the non-resistant form of Staph now, eventually this problem will become a much larger problem.”
TRANSMISSION
Elkin says MRSA is simply a form of Staph that is resistant to certain antibiotics. “When I talk about the transmission of Staph or MRSA, it is the same method. It’s just that the only difference between the two is that one is non-resistant and the other is resistant. Transmission is the same. The presentation of symptoms is the same. The difference is the treatment.”
TREATMENT
In severe cases, it can infect the blood, requiring hospitalization. If not treated in a timely manner, MRSA can be fatal. Shawn says treatment of MRSA usually consists of a medical procedure. “So, main treatment is incision, drainage then antibiotic treatment.”
How Bacteria Builds Resistance
MUTATION
So, why do some of the Staph bacteria become resistant to medications? There are a number of reasons. Helen points out, MRSA is a type of Staph bacteria that has mutated to avoid being wiped out. “We use a lot of antibiotics. So, the bacteria they figure out how to avoid get killed by certain drug. So, they just change their genes. Bacterias are very smart. They turn over from one generation to generation very fast. They evolve.”
Shawn adds, “It goes back about 50 years. Originally the resistance that occurred was the result of people that were mainly in a hospital setting. They had chronic illness and received a lot of different antibiotics for their illness. And as a result of being exposed to so many different antibiotics, especially antibiotics that may not serve that particular organism they were being used for, the bacteria like Staph would develop resistance.”
INAPPROPRIATE USE OF ANTIBIOTICS
Another reason, Shawn says, is the inappropriate use of antibiotics. “Using antibiotics for viral infections where antibiotics are not useful for viruses at all, only for bacteria. Using broad spectrum antibiotics that are not specific for the bacteria that’s involved in the infection. Using expired medications. Expired antibiotics that are reduced effectiveness. So, they are not strong enough to kill the organism.”
SELF MEDICATION
And, instead of seeing a healthcare professional, Shawn says some people will find other, less expensive, means of buying antibiotics. “Antibiotics are actually pretty easy to get a hold of. They are quite often available at swap meets, and marketplaces. People go across the border to get antibiotics because they are cheaper and readily available, especially if you don’t have access to healthcare. You can get antibiotics through the internet and people self medicate. Well, the problem with that is that you don’t know what type of bacteria might be causing your infection. You don’t even know if it is a bacteria that’s causing your infection. It might be viral.”
It’s important to note, the younger the child, the harsher the consequences if they are infected because their immune system is not completely developed. “From 0 to 5, children that age. The older they are in that age group they tend to have a stronger immune system. 2 to 5 is stronger in that group. But from 0 to 2 the extreme child in that age group. They tend to have an immune system that is immature and has not had to respond to a lot of different type bacteria.”
PREVENTION
One of the most important things that parents can do for their children and themselves is to have good hygiene habits. Shawn says, “Hygiene is gonna be your number one, cheapest method to prevent transmission of all types of bacterias, even viruses. So, Hygiene. Hygiene. Hygiene.”
Teach your children to wash their hands often, using soap and water for about 30 seconds. Shawn says, “It has to be done after the use of the bathroom, before cooking items, after working with raw products that’s gonna be cooked. After shaking people’s hands. Any type of social contact, you really should wash your hands.” Show them how to cover your nose and mouth when they cough or sneeze. Have them sneeze into their elbow. And, show them how to use Kleenex when they blow their nose. Shawn says, “If we actually start acting now to improve hygiene practices and do appropriate use antibiotics that’s our best means to prevent this particular organism from becoming an enormous public health issue in the future.”
More Info for Parents
Study finds more children being affected by MRSA – Washington Post
Study finds more children being affected by MRSA - Reuters
