The Beaumont Enterprise

The Beaumont Enterprise
Cindy Powers, infection control practitioner at Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital, said that the number of MRSA cases are “rising fairly dramatically.” In the last 12 months, hospital staff has seen 30 to 60 cases a month, Powers said. Although some patients in serious condition are admitted and placed on intravenous antibiotics, the majority can be treated on an outpatient basis using either multiple antibiotics or an unusually strong one. Chip Whiteside, athletic trainer at West Brook, said that one of his football players had a staph infection on his head that required surgery. He found another infection on a player’s forearm, and just recently, another one on a player’s bicep. He believes that dirty football pads scrape the skin and drive in the bacteria. The rough sport produces wounds and contact, both of which spread the infections, according to the report.