MRSA seminar: Hand washing still the best preventative

A lot has changed since the discovery of staph bacteria, but basic lessons in hygiene remain the same.

In a presentation about staph, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services senior epidemiologist Eddie Hedrick explained medical science and practices have come a long way, but frequent and good hand washing is still one of the best ways to prevent most illnesses.

"You are your best advocate," Hedrick said.

Hedrick said only those who have worked in the medical field for years remember what it was like back in the 1960s and '70s when it was common practice to store thermometers in jars of alcohol.

Doctors removed them, wiped them off and placed them in people's mouths without giving it a second thought.

As the alcohol evaporated, the effectiveness decreased, but nobody thought about that, Hedrick said. They would just fill the jar back up to the top. Eventually, it was nothing but water and germs.

Those same thermometers are now sterilized before and after use and stored dry, or plastic, disposable coverings are used.

Hedrick said it's that education that has stopped major illnesses from spreading and outbreaks from occurring.

The education will have to continue.

DHSS tracks many strains of the staph bacteria, most of which are harmless to the general population.

The bacteria spread by skin-to-skin contact and loves crowded conditions like schools, prisons, hospitals, dormitories and daycare centers.

Hedrick said 98 percent of the population will have a strain of staph on their skin at one time or another; 60 percent are intermittent carriers, which means they may test positive one day, but not the next.

It's which strain you get, how you get it and how your body responds that makes staph dangerous.

In 1954, two million pounds of antibiotics were used in the country. Today, 50 million pounds are used, one slide in Hedrick's presentation revealed.

The overuse and misuse of antibiotics have caused two strains of the bacteria to adapt and become resistant to some antibiotics.

"It's doing exactly the same thing it has done for years, it's adapting so it can survive. The problem is, we're running out of antibiotics to treat it," Hedrick said.

MRSA stands for methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus, bacteria resistant to common antibiotics.

Five strains of MRSA are seen, four of which are diagnosed as hospital-acquired, one as community-acquired.

The community-acquired strain is the most common and is usually found on the skin, our greatest defense system, Hedrick said. It can appear similar to a pimple, boil or other skin lesion.

"Ninty-eight percent of the time, it's nothing, but it's when you let it go, it can be worse than the hospital-acquired strain," Hedrick said.

The hospital-acquired strain of MRSA is resistant to many more types of antibiotics, but only because the bacteria are more prevalent in hospitals.

"Anywhere you see a hospital favoring one type of antibiotic over all the others, you are almost sure to find a stronger resistance to that antibiotic in MRSA," he said.

And the longer you spend in the hospital, the more likely you are to get something, he said.

"It's just the nature of it," Hedrick said. "The bugs are a lot worse in the hospital than they are in your home or office. People are sick in there otherwise they wouldn't be there"

It's also that weakened immune system that makes spreading MRSA in a health-care environment more likely to happen.

Hedrick said schools, hospitals and other settings shouldn't wait for an outbreak of any illness, especially MRSA, to put good cleaning into practice. A few good steps now will prevent an outbreak.

Anything commonly shared should be wiped off with an EPA-approved disinfectant. This includes doorknobs, handles, phones, athletic equipment and especially wrestling mats.

Hedrick said athletic equipment and wrestling mats are the most commonly missed places and because so, are big sources of spreading infections.

Patients need to be their own advocate in the health-care setting and insist on nurses and doctors washing their hands in front of them, Hedrick said.

"We have to change this culture that it's rude to ask. They're treating your illness and you want to make sure they have clean hands, right?" he said.

Above all, Hedrick said the most important thing is for people to frequently and effectively wash their hands.

"It's common sense. Your mom taught you for a reason," he said.

This means hot water and rubbing soap on your hands for at least 30 seconds.

He also warned that instant hand sanitizers are not a substitute, but a supplement. Soap and water removes organic matter and germs while hand sanitizers only remove germs.

Contact this reporter at deannaw@lakesunleader.com