MRSA Infections Decline in Hospitals

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Latest CDC Data Indicate Infection-Control Procedures Are Having an Impact

By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
Aug. 10, 2010 — There has been a dramatic decline in hospital-acquired and other health care-related MRSA infections, the CDC reports.

From 2005 to 2008, the rate of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infections dropped by almost 28% among hospitalized patients and 17% among people who were not hospitalized but acquired the infection following medical procedures like dialysis.

The figures are based on an analysis of data from nine metropolitan areas across the U.S.

The CDC estimates that about 1.7 million health-care-related infections occur annually in the U.S., resulting in 99,000 deaths.

Multidrug-resistant MRSA infections have been among the most deadly, killing thousands of people each year.

The latest analysis is based on data obtained from the CDC’s Emerging Infections Program/Active Bacterial Core surveillance system and represents the largest attempt to track infection rates across the country.

The research appears in the Aug. 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. (Read more.)