MRSA levels dropping in ICUs

According to a government study that appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association involving nearly 600 hospitals nationwide, MRSA is on the decline in hospital intensive care units. 

The study, conducted between 1997 and 2007, has shown that MRSA infections related to IV tubes fell nearly 50 percent in the time span. Catheters threaded into an artery near the heart for medicinal purposes, or for the purpose of taking vital signs, were the study's primary focus. 

While MRSA infections may be on the decline in ICUs, Dr. Michael William Climo--an editorial author with the study--is not sure if the same can be said about MRSA in other hospital settings. Still, things are looking more promising. 

"We may actually be starting to get a toehold on [MRSA]" said Dr. Buddy Creech of Vanderbilt University, who also was involved with the study. "That's encouraging." 

For more information:
- here's the full Associated Press article

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