You Can Catch MRSA from Going Swimming in Florida

Some Florida beaches and some beaches along the west coast of the United States are infected with MRSA. Around Ft.Lauderdale, where I live, they regularly check the water for the bacterial infection. If they find harmful bacteria, they will close the beach. The ocean is not the only place you can catch MRSA. Football Players have a higher rate of MRSA infections.than the general public.They can get infected from grass burns from the artificial turf. People who spend a lot of time in crowded gyms can get infected. Other places where people can get infected are Child Care centers, nursing homes, military barracks, prisons, and hospitals,

The people most likely to get MRSA are those with weakened immune systems. Such as people with cancer, AIDS, bad cases of asthma or diabetes  Also people who are having  invasive surgery such as hip or knee replacement are at risk of having MRSA infections. People who work with animals such as Veterinarians are also in danger.

MRSA is resistant to most antibiotics. Many people have MRSA infestations in their noses. Most of these people show no symptoms sometimes for many years. Their immune systems keep the MRSA under control, but if there immune system gets weakened because of another disease the MRSA can spread to their lungs and cause bacterial pneumonia. Pneumonia is hard to treat. If a doctor treats the pneumonia with the wrong antibiotic, one that doesn't affect MRSA, the doctor has a very short time to find an antibiotic that will work.before the patient dies.

The other way MRSA  infects the body is through a scratch or a cut in the skin. If it is caught quickly it can be treated with surgery. The surgeon cuts out the infection Many times that is all the treatment necessary. But if the MRSA gets into the bloodstream it can infect internal organs, joints and bones.

MRSA  kills more Americans than AIDS and costs more than $20 billion to treat. Globally  about 53 million people are infected with MRSA each Year. Several Pharmaceutical companies are working on a vaccine for MRSA. It is difficult to develop.  So far two companies have failed in late stages of trials. Any possible vaccine is at least 10 to 15 years out.  

In the Republic of Georgia they have been able to treat MRSA with Phage Therapy. In one of their trials they had a 95%.success rate. Sense phage is unaffected by drug resistance it is more effective than antibiotics in treating MRSA. Hopefully it will be made legal in the United States soon.