FRIDAY, Sept. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a major cause of nosocomial infections, is a global public health concern and requires attention from the international community, according to a report published in the October issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Co-authors Stephan Harbarth, M.D., and Didier Pittet, M.D., from the Infection Control Program, University of Geneva, Switzerland, say that despite extensive research, experts are uncertain about the best way to prevent and control MRSA.
Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands have stemmed MRSA infection rates in hospitals by using surveillance measures, isolating cases and controlling antibiotic use, but are facing growing incidences of community-acquired MRSA. Australia, France and Belgium, where MRSA is endemic, have had some success in reducing it in certain areas. Argentina, the United Kingdom and the United States, with hyper-endemic levels of MRSA, are targeting their approach by tackling it in high-risk populations. However, in Asian countries such as China, South Korea and Japan, the growing prevalence of MRSA has been largely ignored, producing some of the world's highest rates.
"Whatever the final outcome of this ongoing debate, health authorities and policymakers are well-advised to put effort and money into their MRSA control efforts," Harbarth and Pittet write. "MRSA is everybody's business, not only that of hospital epidemiologists and a few opinion leaders."
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