KILLER RASH BREAKS OUT

[kalian]

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/24879.htm

A vicious skin infection resistant to all but the most powerful antibiotics has jumped out of New York City hospitals and onto the streets.

The "superbug," as health officials refer to it, can cause anything from reddening of the skin, to abscesses, tissue loss, amputation or even death in severe cases, doctors said.

For decades confined to hospitals, where it preyed on patients and built up immunity to antibiotics, the bug - known officially as Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus or MRSA - has also grown in strength.

"Usually with infections you need a break in the skin to pass it," said Dr. Howard Grossman, who has a private practice in Chelsea.

"Not with this. It gets through unbroken skin with casual contact."

...more...

No...friggin...way....! :wow:

[truhavoc]

1. You won't believe me but I had this!!

In college four years ago, I thought it was from the nasty showers but I was informed otherwise. My whole leg turned red hot, and I had an awful abscess. I went to my home town hospital and they gave a weak antibiotic that did not work. My leg got worse, and I developed what greatly resembled pictures of flesh eating bacteria on my shin. I went to the university hospital, they recognized it and ended up filling me with strong antibiotics and having to cut my abscess open to "drain" it. I still have the scar, and appearently I would have had a staph infection all through me if I wouldn't have caught it in about three days. Scary stuff, I didn't know it was so communicable.

[Systematic Chaos]

2. Who didn't see this coming?

For decades doctors prescribed antibiotics for every little sniffle and head cold, whether or not those ailments would actually be treated using them. Then, we've got all our lovely antibacterial soaps, cleansers, and what have you. It's been a race between us and the germs and methinks the germs have just won.

:scared: :nuke: :scared: :nuke: :scared: :nuke: :scared:

[kalian]

3. Oh...I saw it coming...but....

not like this...and so friggin soon. Its just so friggin unreal!
:wow:

[JohnLocke]

4. Kick

:kick:

[havocmom]

6. meats and dairy full of antibiotics too

you get some most days that you eat, whether you know it or not.

It has given us very sturdy bugs.

[Leprechan29]

8. And

People didn't use all of their prescriptions, meaning that some of the stronger bugs would survive and multiply.

But in all fairness, most drugs would become useless after a sufficient amount of time, as the germs with a full resistance to them would be selected (in an artificial/natural selection sense) and multiply.

[LastDemocratInSC]

5. This is real and very, very dangerous

My wife is an ICU nurse and the issue of MRSA getting into the general population is something that health care providers have feared might happen - they have worked very hard to contain it and isolate it within hospitals, hoping to keep it there.

When she has worked with patients having MRSA she has gowned up until she looks like a lunar astronaut - covered from head to toe, face shield - the works.

She has a favorite saying - "Bacteria were here long before us, will be here long after us, and will be the reason we aren't here with them."

Bacteria truly rule the world, and are very serious about maintaining that control.

[indigobusiness]

7. another thread on this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1692840

[donhakman]

9. Get used to it dude.

Its what killed Jim Henson.

[rexcat]

10. Jim Henson died from a group A Strep infection, not Staph...

Resistance to antibiotics has been around for as long as I have worked in health care and that would be 1972. The over prescribing of antibiotics has been a concern since the 1950's when penicillin resistance was noted in some bacteria.

on edit: the piper has to be paid sooner or later!

[quispquake]

11. Moved by Moderator

Not an editorial