According to a new study, staph infections, including but not limited to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), have become endemic in hospitals. The study, which is set to be published in the December issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, found that MRSA-related hospitalizations doubled between 1999 and 2005, from 127,000 to 280,000. Hospitalizations for patients with other staph infections shot up 62 percent. Meanwhile, the rate of "community-based" MRSA infection has spiked as well. The study's authors are proposing that the U.S. develop a national infection-rate reporting system, as well as researching the relationship between community-based and hospital-based staph infections.
To learn more about this trend:
- read this Modern Healthcare piece
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