In California, ten newborns tested positive for an antibiotic-resistant virus. Health officials are currently investigating this problem. County officials also opened an investigation to analyze how ten newborns contracted the dangerous bacteria at the University of California Irvine Medical Center, in the neonatal intensive care unit.
- Ten newborns were infected with a dangerous strain of MRSA bacteria.
- Specialists revealed that this virus gained resistance to antibiotics.
- Experts argued that this bacteria can be easily transmitted from a patient to another.
The babies were reported to have contracted the same strain of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) somewhere between August 2016 and March 2017. This virus is resistant to methicillin. However, doctors continued to treat the ten babies, and none of them died after they were diagnosed. Specialists claim that MRSA bacteria can naturally appear. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that two out of 100 people carry this bacteria in their nose or on their skin.
The bacteria is known for spreading very quickly in healthcare environments, being transmitted from infected wounds to some other patients through healthcare providers. In February, the World Health Organization (https://abcnews.go.com/topics/lifestyle/health/world-health-organization.htm ) noted that MRSA to be one of the twelve dangerous families of bacteria which pose a massive threat to people’s health. The organization requested for urgent efforts to develop new antibiotics which can help patients be cured.
Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Health Systems and Innovation, argued that lately antibiotic resistance has become a common problem and specialists are overwhelmed by such a problem, desperately trying to find a solution and eradicate such superbugs which do not respond to any treatment. She also pointed out that if doctors decide to leave this problem in the hands of the market forces, producers will not be able to develop the needed antibiotic in time.
On April 13, the UC Irvine Medical Center declared that they decided to team up with specialists from the Orange County Health Department to enforce the infection prevention measures after the department revealed that there is a common MRSA strain which was found in patients back in December. At this point, they did not detect the source of this mass infection.
A spokesperson from UC Irvine Medical Center argued that the presence of this bacteria on a person does not obligatorily cause an infection and doctors are not always able to find the source of the virus.
Even if the hospital staff was cautious and underwent safety procedures to annihilate any potential MRSA bacteria by using ointment and antiseptic soap, the last MRSA case was revealed in March. All ten newborns are still under treatment and are carefully taken care of by healthcare providers.
Image courtesy of: wikipedia
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