Nursing students in Mangaluru affected by MRSA?

Mangaluru, 13 Jun 2015: The diagnosis of nursing students of Laxmi Memorial College in Mangaluru of being infected by MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) bacteria created a sense of fear in college premises.

 

 
It is said that nearly 100  nursing students had been tested positive for MRSA infection which is resistant to a number of widely-used antibiotics and can cause life-threatening infections.

The infected students originally hailing from Kerala staged a massive protest on Saturday, June 13 alleging the negligence of college towards infected students.

 

The students alleged that the college did not permit the infected students to go home to recover and instead put them on duties in various wards. The students also alleged that the college authorities are not allowing the students to consult doctors. The administration has been  instructing them to remain quarantine.

Meanwhile the college management who spoke to the reporters denied the same and stated that the issue is not as serious as it is being portrayed. They have said that it has not affected the working of the hospital or the college.

"It is a normal viral infection which spreads if precautions are not taken. One of the students got infected because of not following guidelines like wearing mask and washing hands. As soon as the test results were out, the infected students were given two day leave with antibiotics. They were not sent home because we did not wanted their families too to get affected by the infection," the management added.

 

MRSA

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium that causes infections in different parts of the body. It’s tougher to treat than most strains of staph because it is resistant to some commonly used antibiotics.

 

The MRSA causes mild infections on the skin, like sores or boils. But it can also cause more serious skin infections or infect surgical wounds, the bloodstream, the lungs, or the urinary tract. Though most  MRSA infections aren’t serious, some can be life-threatening. Many public health experts are alarmed by the spread of tough strains of MRSA.