New resistant bacteria to show up in Canada

TORONTO - Doctors say a dangerous form of bacteria is making its way into Canada after showing up in otherwhealthy people in the United States. “It’s going to show its ugly head here soon,” said Toronto microbiologist Dr. Don Low, referring to a new and potentially-deadly strain of MRSA - methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or “staph.” The infection usually appears as sores that resemble insect bites. It can be transferred through skin contact. If leftuntreated, it can develop into boils and abscesses that may require surgery. MRSA can cause pneumonia or septicemia, which can be fatal, if it reaches the lungs or blood steam. Doctors can detect the bug through a swab of the nose or groin. It can be treated with oral antibiotics. The bug has been found mainly among aboriginals on reserves in Canada. MRSA has been appearing in jails in the U.S. and among the gay population in California. Keep your hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water Keep cuts and abrasions clean and covered with a proper dressing (e.g., bandage) until healed Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or material contaminated from wounds The latest warning comes as American medical experts announced a jump in drug-resistant germs. They say as many as 40 per cent of the Streptococcus pneumonaie bacteria could be resistant to common antibiotics. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health have released a new study in the journal Nature Medicine. They say: penicillin resistance rose from 21.7 per cent in 1996 to 26.6 per cent in 1999 erythromycin (the other popular antibiotic) resistance rose from 10.8 per cent to 20.2 per cent in the same period. They blame overuse of antibiotics. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans to require a new warning on antibiotics regarding overuse. The FDA says half of the antibiotic prescriptions written each year are needless. Low says doctors should encourage vaccination, which reduces the need for drugs. Vaccines against the most common form of strep are recommended for infants and older people, the two groups most likely to get infections.