Beware of Bugs

MRSA—or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus, an infection caused by bacteria that is resistant to most antibiotics—has practically set up camp at hospitals. A report from the Centers for Disease Control published last year found that 85 percent of all MRSA infections were connected to health care facilities like hospitals, nursing homes and dialysis centers. And as you can probably guess, the bacteria are most commonly found on surfaces that get touched a lot like bed rails, counters, remote controls and pillows, but it's the folks being treated in the hospital, not visitors, who are most at risk. Patients may have compromised immune systems and could have recently received antibiotics that wipe out the body’s healthy bacteria and that can allow antibiotic-resistant strains like MRSA to gain a stronger foothold, says Dr. Lance R. Peterson, director of the MRSA Surveillance Program at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare in Evanston, Illinois. Unless you’re rolling around on the hospital floor or wrestling with a patient, you don’t need to worry about getting infected. Simply washing your hands with soap for 15 to 20 seconds post-visit should be enough to rinse away lingering bacteria.