When ‘boo-boos’ get serious

A drug-resistant germ previously found primarily in health-care settings is now believed by experts to cause more than half of all skin infections treated in U.S. emergency rooms.

Teddye Snell

TAHLEQUAH — It can’t be said enough: Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands.

Elementary school children learn proper hand-washing techniques to stave off myriad illnesses, including the common cold and flu. However, many parents don’t know how invaluable hand-washing can be in the prevention of a drug-resistant staph infection: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.

According to a recent report by the Associated Press, the New England Journal of Medicine has published a study indicating more than half of all skin infections treated in U.S. emergency rooms can be attributed to this “superbug.”

Drug-resistant strains of staph can be life-threatening. If introduced to the blood stream, staph can cause a particularly nasty strain of pneumonia and can even produce “flesh-eating” wounds.

The report stated many patients mistook the skin lesions as spider bites that didn’t heal.

Dr. Yahya Ahmad, pediatrician for Northeast Oklahoma Community Health Clinics Inc., has seen the infection before.

“It’s one of the worst bugs in a hospital setting,” said Ahmad. “It keeps breeding resistance against antibiotics.”

Ahmad, along with doctors involved with the journal study, indicated the germ generally thrives in health-care settings where people have open wounds and tubes. But more recently, outbreaks have occured among children and athletes, as the germ travels through skin contact or shared items like sports helmets, towels, etc.

“When I read the [AP] story, I thought I was reading about my own experience,” said Ahmad. “I just finished treating a 16-year-old who had a serious case of MRSA.”

Ahmad said the boy was, indeed, an athlete who had contracted an infection on his chin that became progressively worse. The boy had been to a different doctor who treated him with two rounds of medication prior to his visit with Ahmad.

“This boy was seen twice by the same physician, and things were not even stabilizing – they were getting worse,” said Ahmad. “I ended up having to admit him [to the hospital], drain the abscess and treat him with antibiotics. I discharged him yesterday.”

Dr. Tracey Childers, Tahlequah ear, nose and throat specialist, has also seen the infection locally.

“I have see MRSA, but not in the ear, nose and throat practice,” said Childers. “But in the Urgent Care facility, I’ve had a number of cases. It seems to be prevalent among children and those involved in athletics, which can be problematic due to the limited selection of antibiotics you can use with children.”

Childers had one case she ended up referring to an infectious disease pediatrician in Tulsa.

“This little girl [patient] had the MRSA staph in her ear drainage,” said Childers. “In her case, a sulfa drug cured her, but only after the infection recurred, twice.”

Childers and Ahmad both recommended the same preventative measure: Wash your hands!

“Hand-washing can never, ever be undervalued,” said Ahmad. “I wash mine before and after seeing each patient, along with cleaning them in between with alcohol wipes.”

Kathy Ritchie, registered nurse for the Cherokee County Health Department, has seen very few cases of MRSA.

“I’m sure they do in the hospitals and nursing homes, but we don’t see it here so much,” said Ritchie. “But we also practice all the precautions against contracting things like that, since we see such a variety of patients. It [cleanliness] gets to be an obsession when you work in this profession.”

Ahmad has advice for anyone who contracts a skin lesion.

“If a parent sees any kind of skin infection that gains in diameter over the period of a couple of days, rather than improves, make an appointment to see the doctor. Over-the-counter ointments aren’t always the solution. Don’t wait a week or 10 days before becoming concerned.”

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