Public Health Agency of Canada takes on superbug
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 5, 2008 | 4:24 PM ET
CBC News
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The Public Health Agency of Canada and the Community and Healthcare Infection Control Association of Canada are taking on a superbug in hospitals across the country.
The two groups will introduce a teaching module meant to reduce the spread of Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in health care facilities, Dr. Howard Njoo, a Public Health Agency of Canada spokesman, told CBC.ca in an e-mail Monday
Increased staff vigilance with hand-washing, appropriate use of antibiotics and the use of new screening tools to identify the presence of MRSA will be offered by the two groups as a teaching module for Safer Healthcare Now, a group of 222 hospitals, health regions and clinical teams across the country that aims to prevent adverse drug reactions, injuries and deaths.
Staphyloccocus aureus is a type of bacteria that can reside on the skin and in the nasal lining of healthy individuals. MRSA is a strain of the bacteria that's resistant to the antibiotic methicillin.
It is usually spread in health-care settings and often targets people with weakened immune systems. Serious MSRA infections can lead to pneumonia, blood infections or surgical wound infections.
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