World MRSA Awareness Month and Protecting the Residents of Puerto Rico from Microbial Exposure Risks

The month of October has been designated as World MRSA Awareness Month. The recognition is meant to draw attention to the seriousness of this superbug infection and spread information on ways to prevent its proliferation.
 
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of staph bacteria that can be found on many people’s skin or even in their nose. For those who develop a MRSA infection, it is resistant to many antibiotics which can cause serious health concerns for infected individuals and dramatically increase treatment costs.
 
In the past, most MRSA infections have been associated with hospitalization or other health care-associated risk factors. However, in recent years, health care providers have observed MRSA infections in an increasing number of people who lack traditional health care-associated risk factors. These people appear to have community-associated (CA) infections.
 
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) states that CA-MRSA infections are defined as MRSA infections in people with no history of the following risk factors within the year prior to the MRSA culture date:

• Hospitalization or surgery
• Permanent indwelling catheters or percutaneous medical devices
• Residence in a long-term care facility
• Dialysis
• MRSA culture less than 48 hours after hospital admission

 
“MRSA is not just an issue in hospitals and long-term care facilities, today it is a potential problem anywhere that experiences crowding, skin-to-skin contact, and shared equipment or supplies,” said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental. “This means populations such as daycare and school students, athletes, military personnel in barracks, and even incarcerated individuals are at increased risk of CA-MRSA infections.”
 
In Puerto Rico and across the Caribbean, Zimmetry Environmental offers surface and environmental testing to identify MRSA and other microbial pathogens to help prevent infections or to pinpoint the source of an existing outbreak. Likewise, testing is instrumental for confirming the effectiveness of infection control procedures in high risk environments. Zimmetry also recently sponsored an educational video about CA-MRSA that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/EAPbbSJmXOg
 
To learn more about Zimmetry’s microbial pathogen, indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and building science testing, compliance and consulting services, please visit www.zimmetry.com, call (787) 995.0005 or email info@zimmetry.com .
 
About Zimmetry Environmental
Since 2002, Zimmetry Environmental has been providing environmental consulting services to building owners and managers, architects, engineers, EHS professionals and Fortune 500 companies.  The company is based in Puerto Rico and provides services across the Caribbean and Central America.  The professionals at Zimmetry offer environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase I ESAs and general environmental consulting services.

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

Contact via E-mail