Too much of a good thing can actually be bad for you.  Just ask the Hebrews about that trip out of Egypt

(Read Exodus 16 & Numbers 11)!

On March 25, 2011, CBS affiliates began running a story regarding the emergence of yet another "superbug", known as CRKP.  CRKP bacteria have been identified in 356 cases in LA County, California.  As with several superbugs it began hitting nursing homes and hospitals, appearing in those patients on respirators and ventilators and in some patients with surgical wounds.  It has been estimated that death can occur in approximately 40% of all cases.

CRKP now joins the ranks of other superbugs, such as:  MRSA, Streptococcus pheumoniae, C.diff, VRE, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Neisseria gonorrhea, which have mutated/changed to such a degree that traditional antibiotics are no longer effective in treating these infections.  How has this happened?  Some antibiotics have been used so frequently and widely, that these organisms have 'adapted' to them, making the antibiotic much less or in some cases, totally in-effective.  When antibiotics no longer work, the consequences include longer lasting illness, more office visits, extended hospital stays, and a need for increasingly expensive and sometimes toxic medications. 

How do we combat the problem?  As in any situation in which there is a potential for infection, prevention is key. 

1.      Do not visit friends and loved ones in the hospital or extended care facility if you are ill.

2.      Watch for signs posted on the patient’s door regarding the use of gowns and gloves.  Gowning and gloving are meant provide self-protection as well as prevent the patient from acquiring infection.

3.      Wash your hands before and after your visit, or use the alcohol-based hand cleaner (Note:  if using alcohol-based products, be sure the gel has dried before putting on gloves – alcohol can cause breakdown of the gloves).

4.      Avoid overuse – do not demand antibiotics from your physician (Upper respiratory infections account for 75% of all antibiotics prescribed by office-based physicians).

5.      Do not hoard antibiotics that have been discontinued.  The medication can break down, and lose effectiveness, allowing the bacteria to build a resistance.

6.      Do not share antibiotics – the problem is compounded when the incorrect antibiotic is used to self-treat.

7.      Follow all medication directions.  Typically a physician will write a prescription that requires you take all of the medication unless informed otherwise.  Ending treatment too early, may allow some of the bacteria to survive and re-infect.

Two controversial areas of concern which require further study, include:

1.      The widespread use of antibacterial soaps and lotions, and

2.      The agricultural use of antibiotics in livestock and fowl.

When Alexander Fleming discovered Penicillin in 1928 he ushered in a revolution, which saved the lives of countless people, and changed medicine forever.   It is now up to us to be responsible stewards of the life-saving antibiotics that have been developed in the interim.

 

Spring Blessings, Jackie Hoover