Resources
MRSA INFO FOR COPS AND FIREFIGHTERS
MRSA FACT SHEET FOR PEACE OFFICERS AND FIREFIGHTERS (040908, v8)
Eric L. Nelson, M.S., M.A. ©2008
elnelson@ucdavis.edu
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a staph infection which only responds to the most powerful drugs, and it can be fatal even in children (Mayo Clinic, 2007; CDC, 2001). In 2005 MRSA killed 18,650 people in the U.S. -- more than were killed by AIDS. Another 94,000 Americans sustained life-threatening MRSA infections, and MRSA has become the leading cause of soft tissue infections presented in hospital Emergency Rooms (Klevens, Morrison & Nadle, 2007). Additionally, MRSA can contribute to the worsening of other disease processes such as toxic shock syndrome, bacteremia, pneumonia, endocarditis, and osteomyelitis (Christianson et. al., 2007).
