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State Could Start Tracking MRSA

By Associated Press

Alabama's top doctor is debating whether the state should start tracking cases of drug resistant staph infections to find out if they're increasing and what parts
of the state are being affected the most. State Could Start Tracking MRSA

Published: Mon, October 29, 2007 - 5:54 pm Last Updated: Mon, October 29, 2007 - 5:56 pm

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - You've heard it from your mother, your
grandmother and your teachers.
Now State Health Officer Don Williamson is saying it, too: Wash
Your Hands!
Williamson said today that there doesn't seem to be an outbreak
of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA (MUR'-suh)
and Alabamians shouldn't panic.
But he and other officials are pleading with the public to use
hand washing as a way to keep the disease from spreading.
He said the state could soon start tracking community-acquired
cases to find out if the infections are increasing and what parts
of the state are being affected the most.
There are still several other antibiotics that can be used to
treat MRSA - which occasionally causes life-threatening infections.
Health officials say about 30 percent of the population carries
the bacteria on their skin and in their noses without causing
disease. Infections occur when the bacteria gets into the body
through a break in the skin.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)