mrsaMRSA Infections on the Rise Among Children

A strain of staph bacteria called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is making its way into the lives and homes of people not typically at risk for the fast-moving bacteria. Researchers are urging parents to become educated about symptoms of MRSA in order to ensure that the disease is caught early and stopped before becoming severe. If your child develops an unexplained red spot that resembles a spider bite, you might have reason for concern. Others describe the first signs of …

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Drug-Resistant Bacterial Infection More Common Than Previously Thought

A bacterial infection that can cause deadly diarrhea and other life-threatening conditions, particularly among the elderly and sick, is as much as 20 times more common than researchers previously thought, according to a new study. Clostridium difficile, also called C. diff, affects as many as 13 out of every 1,000 patients in United States hospitals, which is between 6.5 and 20 times as many patients as previous estimates had found. On average, more than 7,000 infections and 300 deaths occur …

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Philadelphia High School Student Dies from MRSA

A 17-year-old Philadelphia high school student has died after contracting a drug-resistant staph infection, officials said. Saalen Jones, a senior at Martin Luther King High School, died September 23, 2008 after developing the contagious infection known as methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA infections have increased in recent years, particularly among those who have been hospitalized, spent time in jail or prison, or in gyms and locker rooms, officials said. MRSA is also more common in poorer, urban neighborhoods, officials said.

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