CDC: Progress to reduce MRSA, other staph infections slowing

The rate of hospital-onset methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections declined 17.1 percent per year between 2005 and 2012, but did not change significantly between 2013 and 2016, according to a Vital Signs report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate of community-onset methicillin-susceptible staph infections increased 3.9 percent annually between 2012 and 2017, possibly due to the opioid crisis, with infections in people who inject drugs climbing from 4 percent in 2011 to 9 percent in 2016, CDC said. “U.S. hospitals have made significant progress, but this report tells us that all staph infections must remain a prevention priority for health care providers,” said CDC Director Robert Redfield, M.D.
 
Jay Bhatt, D.O., AHA senior vice president and chief medical officer, said, “America’s hospitals and health systems are deeply committed to protecting the health and well-being of the patients we proudly care for. Each day across the country, we serve some of the most vulnerable people in our communities, who are often the most susceptible to infections, diseases and illnesses. Over the past decade, hospitals and health systems have made important advances in care quality, which includes significant reductions in hospital-acquired conditions, health care-associated infections, avoidable readmissions, and early-elective deliveries. As the CDC notes, MRSA bloodstream infections in health care settings decreased nationally by approximately 17 percent each year between 2005 and 2012. However, we know that more progress needs to happen, even as anti-microbial resistance and the opioid epidemic make providing care more challenging. Our members remain dedicated to working with the CDC and our other partners in the health field, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, to ensure every patient receives the highest-quality care.”