A Potential Breakthrough for MRSA Relief

There is new hope for people suffering from a particularly dangerous strain of Staph infection. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus, or MRSA, has become the scourge of hospitals around the country, and is now becoming more and more common in other environments. Restaurants are testing positive for it on their tables and silverware, and the people you brush against on the New York subway or city street might have it on their skin: not something we want to think about.

Thankfully, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a new medication, Dalvance, to treat the condition. Dalvance is taken intravenously, is proven effective, and so far is only approved for adults, with hopes that it will be approved for children in the future. Dalvance is the first drug labeled by the FDA as a Qualified Infectious Disease Product, an exciting new branch of medications in the fight against MRSA and other drug-resistant infections.

To put into perspective how important this is, we must remember how prevalent MRSA has become. You can read about MRSA on the website for the Centers for Disease Controls, which highlights some of this information:

• Two percent of the population carries MRSA in their nose, and a third of the population carries some form of Staph infection on their body.
• 100,000 patients in hospitals have been infected with MRSA in a single year, just in America.
• MRSA has been responsible for 20,000 deaths in a year.
• MRSA can be transmitted both in hospital settings, but also has resulted in schools and day cares being locked down because of infection.

There is little we can do to protect ourselves from this invisible enemy, other than wash and sanitize our hands and disinfect surfaces as much as possible. If you or a loved one has contracted this terrible disease, either through a healthcare provider or in the community, it is important to learn as much as you can about how you contracted it to help keep others from suffering, as well. Contact a lawyer to help you get the answers you need to protect yourself and those around you.