MORRIS, ILLINOIS, USA, August 1, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- Rampant MRSA Infection Rates in U.S. Healthcare Facilities Increase Since the Beginning of COVID-19.

“We need to tighten the lapses in infection control for MRSA and healthcare-acquired infections in U.S. healthcare facilities”, states Jeanine Thomas, founder of MRSA Survivors Network and World MRSA Day/Month. “Antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) continues to be a major global health threat and is ever increasing. This year marks the 15th Annual Awareness Campaign for World MRSA Day/Month to draw attention to the important evolving public health crisis.”

Active detection and isolation, strict hand hygiene control, decolonization, thorough disinfection of the environment and an antimicrobial-resistant program are all vital aspects and approaches for controlling healthcare-acquired infections.

MRSA Rates Rampant in U.S. Hospitals
Recent studies and data show that MRSA has dramatically increased in U.S. hospitals since the beginning of COVID-19.
At the U.S. Veteran’s Administration (VA) hospitals, where active screening, decolonization and isolation has been in place since 2007, a recent study https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1007474 comparing MRSA rates from 2005 and 2017, showed that all MRSA infections decreased 55%, Hospital-Onset (HO)-MRSA infections decreased by 66%, and MRSA-colonization decreased by 78%. These secular trend data are the longest evaluation of any MRSA-infection prevention strategy in U.S. hospitals.

In contrast, a study comparing March 2020 to March 2022 at 182 Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) hospitals, where chlorhexidine bathing rather than active screening, decolonization and isolation is done, reported that during this period COVID-19-infected patients had a 3-fold increase in MRSA infections (11.2 vs.3.7) compared to Non-COVID-19 infected patients. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10102879/

The Leapfrog Group reported that comparing late 2021 to 2022, MRSA infections spiked to a five-year high and that the MRSA standard infection ratio (SIR) increased by 37% at U.S. hospitals. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) compared MRSA-bloodstream infection (BSI) rates at over 3,000 U.S. hospital between 2019 to 2020 and reported that the MRSA-BSI rates increased by 34% from 2020 quarter 4 vs. 2019 quarter 4.

Both the Leapfrog Group and CDC should include current MRSA-infection prevention practices when analyzing MRSA rates. Regardless, data show that during the COVID-19 pandemic, MRSA rates increased at many U.S. hospitals and more aggressive MRSA-infection prevention measures are needed to improve patient safety.
https://ratings.leapfroggroup.org/measure/hospital/2023/mrsa-infection

WORLD MRSA DAY, OCTOBER 2 – WORLD MRSA AWARENESS MONTH, OCTOBER – 15th ANNIVERSAY CAMPAIGN
The annual global awareness campaign draws critical attention for all healthcare facilities in the U.S. to screen high risk patients for MRSA and conduct a comprehensive ‘search and destroy’ approach. The 2023 global theme is: “The Ongoing MRSA Epidemic – A Call to Action”. A virtual event will be held, Thursday, October 5, 2023 at 7:00pm CT via Zoom. A link will be provided closer to the event and will be shown later on MRSA Survivor’s Network’s new website: https://www.mrsasurvivors.org

Opening Remarks will be given by Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Unite and Keynote Speaker is the world-renowned infectious disease specialist Willam R. Jarvis M.D., President of Jason & Associates LLC and formerly with the CDC. Other expert presenters are John H. Powers M.D. FACP FIDSA, Professor of Clinical Medicine at George Washington University of Medicine and the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Dr. Rodney E. Rohde, SB, (ASCP), MB, SV FACs Global Fellow, Regents’ Professor at Texas State University and Chair of the Clinical Laboratory Science Program. Survivors of MRSA, sepsis and C. difficile will share their compelling stories of survival l and also AMR videos.
MRSA Survivors Network was the first patient/consumer advocacy organization in the U.S. to raise the alarm concerning MRSA and healthcare-acquired infections (HAI’s). 2023 marks MRSA Survivors Network’s 20th year of raising the alarm and educating patients and the healthcare industry. I MRSA Survivors Network is a 501c3 nonprofit.

For information on becoming a Corporate Sponsor, donate, or volunteer contact us at:jthomas@mrsasurvivors.org or 815 710-5026, www.MRSAsurvivors.org , Twitter.com/MRSAsurvivors and at Facebook.com/MRSASurvivorsNetwork.

Jeanine Thomas
MRSA Survivors Network
+1 815-710-5026
jthomas@mrsasurvivors.org
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