OK here we go again. Just out of curiosity, are any of ya'll out there seeing MRSA showing up in your area? I have seen an increase of MRSA (staff infection) showing up in our school systems here in NC. Especially in the Charlotte Metro area. Is anyone else seeing this in your area. This is a bad germ that requires treatment with heavy antibiotics. It generally is treated with I hope I am spelling this right Vaincamicin. The sad part of this is that MRSA in some strains are becoming Vaincamicin resistant and it then turns into BRSA. I am currently trying to gain info on this infection, and what we can do and how to better protect ourselves from it. In case you are looking for some of the symptoms of it, sores that will not heal and keep reappearing, in a lot of cases resemble that of a small sore such as a black head or a boil with a head on it. It will possibly look like it is clearing up, but will come right back. We generally expect to see this in long term care facilities, ie; hospitals, nursing homes, etc. But for it to be showing up in the school systems in something that should be troubling us all. Now we are faced with not only trying to protect ourselves but our children as well. In the last two weeks there have been in excess of a dozen school age children diagnosed with having MRSA. I may be wrong on this but this disease can be spread in many different ways. If it can be contracted from just being in a facility, then more than likely is isnt just a germ that is caught form physical contact, but appears to be an airborne pathogen as well. After calls by all means folks, besure to wash your hands with antibacterial lotion or soap, with warm water. For the best results you should wash your hands for at least 20 seconds to be sure that you get all of the contaminants off of your hands. Just think how many times a day your hands come within close proximity to your face, (mouth, nose, eyes and ears). It happens without even thinking about it. So after each call even if you are usung universal precautions besure to clean your hands thoroughly. Check with your infectious disease control facility in your region to gain what info you can from them. I will post more on this as I learn more. Remember we are all here to cover for each other. Remember honor and loyalty are two key issues in the fire service. Remember you owe it to yourself your family, and your extended family in the service to protect one another. So please make sure you wash your hands after every call, even if you are wearing all of your protective gear. You may not even have direct contact with a patient but you still may contract MRSA just being in an area where it is. You can't see it, but this can have dire circumstances, if not treated. So protect yourself as best you can. If anyone else is having trouble with this and you can enlighten the rest of us please do so.
Cap479