According to a CDC study, invasive MRSA infections beginning in hospitals declined 54 percent between 2005 and 2011 and there were 9,000 fewer deaths in hospital patients in 2011 than those in 2005, reports Time Bulletin Media.
Two in 100 people carry the antibiotic resistant form of staph known as MRSA, and for the most part the germs do not pose a health threat, but they can cause life-threatening infections
"Hospitals have been very aggressive with active hand washing campaigns and use of hand sanitizer," Allen County Health Department Director of Nursing Becky Dershem told Times Bulletin Media. "The healthcare community has become much more discreet with antibiotic prescriptions."
The Times Bulletin also provides tips to reduce the risk of MRSA infection, including washing hands often, especially after exercise and keeping wounds and cuts clean and covered.
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