Did Deadly Bacteria in a Pool Lead to Multiple MRSA Infections?

In July of this year, the Eastern Arizona Courier reported about a recent outbreak of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that took place in Safford, Arizona.  Three young girls all came down with MRSA infections after swimming in a public pool.
 
MRSA infections appear to be on the rise in communities across the United States.  It is a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics called beta-lactams. These antibiotics include methicillin and other more common antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin, and amoxicillin.
 
Most MRSA infections are skin infections, but more severe and potentially life-threatening MRSA infections are believed to be responsible for thousands of deaths each year in the United States.  Many of these infections occur all too frequently among patients in healthcare settings.
 
According to the CDC, MRSA infections, as with all staph, are usually spread by having contact with someone’s skin infection or personal items they have used, like towels, bandages, or razors that touched their infected skin. These infections are most likely to be spread in places where people are in close contact with others.
 
“Large portions of our population are unwitting non-infected carriers of staph, including MRSA. Contact with these bacteria is virtually unavoidable, but practicing elementary personal hygiene and keeping any wounds clean and covered can dramatically reduce your risk of contracting a staph infection,” reported Hila Wright, Certified Industrial Hygienist at Clark Seif Clark, a leading provider of industrial hygiene, indoor air quality (IAQ) and environmental testing services.  “Both the hazards and the political fallout associated with MRSA outbreaks are manageable. Too often, we see knee jerk overreactions resulting in unnecessary building evacuations and panicked populations. Environmental education is the key establishing a metered response to any reported outbreaks.”
 
CSC has sponsored an educational video about the risks associated with MRSA.  It can be seen at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf1Zn3t-A5U
 
To learn more about how Clark Seif Clark can help with preventing infectious pathogens, indoor air quality (IAQ), industrial hygiene, and health and safety projects please visit www.csceng.com, email csc@csceng.com or call (800) 807-1118. 
 
About Clark Seif Clark (CSC)
CSC was established in 1989 to help clients in both public and private sectors address environmental, IAQ, and health and safety (EH&S) issues.  CSC is a leading provider of these services with multiple offices along the western seaboard and southwest. The company believes in science-based protocols and has a strong background in engineering, making them the preferred environmental consultants to healthcare facilities, architects, schools, builders, contractors, developers and real estate professionals.

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