MRSA Infections Are Spreading at Greater Speeds

According to the conclusions of a new Danish surveillance report, called DANMAP 2011, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections have been spreading at an accelerated pace over the past few years. Most likely, the document adds, they will continue to do so in the near future.

Compared to other countries, people living in Denmark are less likely to get exposed to the dangerous bacteria in hospitals. However, even here, the incidence of infections has increased by 18 percent last year, compared to cases registered in 2010.

“It is an evident success that the number of hospital-acquired cases is still very low, but the continued rise in community acquired cases require, that we continue to do an effort at full strength,” says Robert Skov, who is a consultant with the Statens Serum Institut.

MRSA and similar organisms are immune to the actions of most antibiotics, making them extremely tough to kill. They tend to prefer living on various surfaces inside hospitals, including sterile instruments and cleaning agents, AlphaGalileo reports.