More action needed on golden staph
The killer “golden staph” superbug is a growing problem not only in Australian hospitals but in the community at large, new research has found.
For the first time, experts have tracked data across the country of infections with Staphylococcus aureus, in both the form that can be treated with penicillin, and the more dangerous antibiotic-resistant form known as MRSA.
The results showed that almost two-thirds of the 1994 infections from June 2007 to May 2008 were picked up in the community. One in 10 of those infected died within a week, and one in five within a month.
The lead author of the research said community MRSA was becoming a huge problem in other countries such as the United States.
“We are in danger of it happening to us,” Professor John Turnidge from South Australia Pathology said.
