Superbug Scare: Are Hospitals Safe?
The recent outbreak at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center has left 2 people dead and may have infected over 170 other patients. What is the 'superbug?' It's a drug-resistant bacteria that can spread quickly throughout a medical facility.
We've been talking about them more and more and will continue to see an increase. The antibiotics we have are not strong enough and we haven't done enough research and development in better methods for prevention in spreading them.
Hospitals need to do a better job preventing the superbug from spreading and other infections that can form among hospital conditions.
We've been using the same antibiotics for years and the bugs have grown resistant to them. They've become immune to them which leads to the need for stronger prevention methods. About 23,000 people die from antibiotic resistant bacteria every year.
Urine, stool and other contamination can exacerbate this problem in hospitals and medical facilities. In this particular case, it was a contaminated scope that caused the superbug infection in the hospital.
Every surgery center and hospital needs to go the extra mile to ensure all equipment and rooms are 100% cleaned and sterilized. Some of it is completely unavoidable - these bugs can survive for a long time. But stronger prevention methods are key.