More than 100,000 people die each year from infections they catch while receiving health care for another problem. The germs that spread in hospitals are often resistant to the antibiotics usually used to treat them. MRSA, for example, is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, ordinary bacteria that have become extremely hard to treat.
Meet a survivor of MRSA who caught the infection working in a hospital emergency room. We also speak with Dr. Robert Muder, an infection control specialist who has developed ways to prevent the spread of MRSA at the Pittsburgh VA. Veterans Affairs Hospitals around the country are implementing some of the lessons learned in Pittsburgh.
Guests: Mike is an electrical contractor and MRSA survivor.
Robert Muder, MD, is Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh in the Division of Infectious Diseases. He is also Chief of the Infectious Disease Section at the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System. The photo is of Dr. Muder.
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The People's Perspective on Medicine