Natural Disaster Sites Breed Serious Infections : Internal Medicine News.
Wounds are at a particular risk of becoming infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) because of conditions that are likely to occur after a natural disaster, such as close skin-to-skin contact with other individuals, use of contaminated items to treat wounds, a lack of cleanliness, and crowded living conditions. Dr. Bettencourt recommended looking for signs of MRSA in cuts and abrasions and in areas of a patient that are covered by hair, which could easily be missed. She noted that new Infectious Diseases Society of America treatment guidelines recommend incision and drainage of mature MRSA infections. Antibiotic treatment should be started if the patient is very young, very old, or immunocompromised; if there are signs of severe or extensive disease; if there is a rapid progression to cellulitis; if symptoms of systemic disease are present; if areas for treatment are difficult to drain (face, hands, genitalia); or if patients are unresponsive to drainage.
