MRSA

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Q. What is MRSA?

A MRSA stands for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. Staphylococcus aureus (SA) is a common type of bacteria that can cause illness.  Methicillin is a powerful antibiotic drug.  MRSA includes several strains (types) of the SA germ that are more difficult to kill with antibiotics.

2. Q. What causes it?

A Antibiotics have been very successful in killing many germs since their manufacture. However, as more antibiotics are used, some strains of germs, including SA types, are becoming immune to them and have multiplied.

3. Q. Are there any antibiotics available to treat patients infected with MRSA?

A. Yes. Vancomycin, a antibiotic, is proving to be successful in getting rid of MRSA.

4. Q. Can people carry MRSA but not be affected by it?

A. Yes. This is known as colonisation. This means that the bacteria is on their skin, in their nostrils, in their throat or in the gut. People colonised with MRSA usually suffer no ill effects at all. It is usually only detected at times when they are ill or require surgery, when screening swabs may be taken.

5. Q. What can be done to eradicate MRSA from patients colonised with it?

A. MRSA can be eradicated with the use of antiseptic washes, creams and topical treatments.

6. Q. Why do some hospital patients contract it?

A People who are in hospital are in because they are very poorly or require surgery. They may be admitted already colonised with MRSA or contract it in hospital.

7. Q. If it is a case of ‘good hygiene’ why can’t hospitals get rid of it?

Because there are always patients who will come into hospital colonised with MRSA, it would be very difficult to eradicate it completely from hospitals. We do work very hard at identifying patients who are colonised with MRSA, particularly in the hospitals high risk areas. The efforts are put into preventing the bacteria being transferred from one patient to another. This is done by strict hand hygiene measures, good cleaning standards and treating the patients.

8. Q. Does MRSA kill every patient who is infected with it?

A. No. The patients who succumb to this type of infection are often those who have undergone major surgery for other life threatening conditions and are too weak to fight an infection. The majority of patients infected with MRSA make a full recovery after following the course of treatment outlined in question 3.

9. Q. How many patients being treated at Alder Hey contract MRSA?

A. Royal Liverpool Children’s NHS Trust has one of the lowest rates of MRSA bacteraemia in the country. Our rate is 0.12% which equates to approximately 4 patients a year being infected with MRSA in their blood stream. The Trust has an active policy for preventing/dealing with MRSA and successfully eradicates the bacteria in most patients.

10. Q How does Alder Hey treat these patients?

A. Patients identified as being colonised or having infections with MRSA are immediately isolated from other patients. They are then treated as outlined in questions 5 and 3 The treatment continues until 3 sets of negative results have been taken.

11. Q. Does Alder Hey check patients coming into the hospital for MRSA?

A. Yes. We check all children coming in to the hospital who are to undergo major surgery or are to be nursed in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, High Dependency Unit, Oncology, the Burns Unit or the Neonatal Unit. These are areas where the most seriously ill patients would be treated. Children admitted from other hospitals are also screened to ensure that MRSA is not being transferred into Alder Hey.