Community-Acquired Pneumonia Caused by Staph More Common Than Thought

Community-acquired pneumonia caused by staph bacteria may occur more frequently than previously thought, according to study results released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study gathered data from three pediatric hospitals in the Atlanta area during the 2006-2007 flu season.
The seven month study identified 53 cases of community-acquired pneumonia, or CAP, [...]

Infection Control Experts Say Hospitals Not Doing Enough to Prevent MRSA

Half of American health care facilities are not doing enough to stop the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), according to a poll of infection control professionals. The online survey conducted by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) revealed that while 59 percent of respondents work at facilities that are [...]

MRSA Related Hospitalizations Surge More Than 100%

Hospitalizations caused by the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria are on the rise in the United States, ballooning 62% between 1999 and 2005. During the same period, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, accounted for a 119% jump in hospitalizations, reports a new study in the December 2007 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases published by the Centers for [...]

Baltimore Has Highest Rate of Staph Superbug Infections in the Nation

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, gained national attention last month when four American children died from complications related to the virulent superbug. In a study published in the October 17, 2007 Journal of the American Medical Association, The Centers for Disease Control reported that United States deaths attributed to the MRSA bacterium exceeded [...]

Students Diagnosed With MRSA at Over 20 Illinois Schools

Note: Periodic updates will be added to the bottom of this article.
Last updated on November 30, 2007.
Schools in the Chicago area and throughout the state of Illinois have reported cases of drug-resistant staph infections this month. Four American children died from the superbug methicilllin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in October 2007, prompting heightened awareness of [...]

Staph Infections More Worrisome Than SARS

News about antibiotic-resistant staph infections was the topic most closely followed by the American public last week, edging out the Iraq War, the economy, the 2008 presidential campaign, and Ellen DeGeneres’ pet adoption controversy. A survey report released by the Pew Research Center indicated that more than a quarter of Americans paid very close [...]

Virginia MRSA Infections to Be Tracked From Now On

Residents of Virginia and people around the nation are newly aware of the dangers of staph infections following the October 15th death of an otherwise healthy student at Staunton River High School in Moneta, Virginia. Since 17-year-old Ashton Bonds died due to complications from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), citizens and government officials have been [...]

Tennessee Kindergartener with MRSA Remains in Critical Condition

A MRSA-related illness following a minor knee scrape has kept five-year-old Julia’nna Clemmons of Tennessee in critical condition for more than a week. The methicillin-resistant staph infection damaged her internal organs before the antibiotics began to work, reported WKRN Nashville. Her care has included dialysis, ventilator and plasma exchange.
Julia’nna Clemmons is a kindergarten [...]

Methicillin-Resistant Staph Infection Claims Life of Ashton Bonds, 17

On Monday, October 15, 2007, a 17-year-old Virginia high school senior named Ashton Bonds died of complications from a staph infection known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). The otherwise healthy student at Staunton River High School in Moneta, Virginia struggled with the MRSA infection for about a week before succumbing to the [...]