Superbugs at School (and Preschool)

MRSA infections now kill more Americans than does HIV/AIDS, according to a CDC report in the October 17, 2007 Journal of the American Medical Association. Most of these infections are in adults over age 65, but infections with resistant bacteria are on the rise, even among healthy children. The important bacteria for parents to know about are called Staph. Aureus, often called just “staph”. These bacteria are very common on the skin and in the noses of healthy kids. Sometimes they slip through a break in the skin and cause infections. In fact, they are among the most common causes of skin infections – usually just little pimples or boils. In hospitals, though, the infections were sometimes lethal, because the bacteria became resistant to major antibiotics. Now resistant staph is showing up in schools. When the bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, they can spread rapidly through communities. In some places in the US, MRSA infections (methicillin-resistant Staph. aureus) now account for 75 percent of staph infections in otherwise totally normal children. These infections are more common where kids are in close skin contact, such as in daycare centers and in contact sports (perhaps daycare is a contact sport!). On average, they are more common in kids under 2 than they are in teens.

Most of these infections can be successfully treated, especially if caught early, but occasionally they progress to serious or even fatal infections. This week, another ... more

Alan Greene MD FAAP