The recent attention given to reported cases of the antibiotic-resistant strain of staphylococcus in area schools has been blown out of proportion, said the Howard County health officer.
“The flu is actually far more dangerous, in general, than MRSA [methicillin-resistant staphyloccoccus aureus],” said Dr. Peter Beilenson.
“The typical flu year kills 36,000 Americans ? MRSA maybe kills 18,000 a year.”
This doesn?t even include the thousands who are hospitalized for the flu, he added.
The overwhelming majority of the deadly MRSA cases come from hospitals ? not schools ? since many people there are elderly, sick and have weakened immune systems, he said.
“It usually comes to a frenzy when a young person dies of an infectious disease that usually affects the elderly population,” he said. Such a case happened at a school in Virginia last month.
With this in mind, Beilenson and two disease specialists with Howard County General Hospital will help allay fears over MRSA, dispel myths and answer questions at a community forum, said Lisa de Hernandez, spokeswoman for the Howard County Health Department.
Staph is a type of bacteria that may cause skin infections which look like pimples or boils. MRSA is a type of staph that?s resistant to some antibiotics, making it harder to treat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Can MRSA be deadly? Yes. But so are a lot of things,” Beilenson said.
“I think it?s important for health officers to reassure when reassuring makes sense and to warn when warning makes sense.”
Although the flu is more deadly than MRSA, Beilenson said MRSA cases were growing.
“The prevalence of the resistant strain of staph, in part, can be attributed to the overuse of unnecessary antibiotics,” he said.
When antibiotics are used excessively, germs mutate and become resistant to the medication, he said.
Beilenson said he has told the Howard County Public School System that reporting every single MRSA case to the health department was not necessary, unless something suggested a case was serious or a possible outbreak.
“We?re probably not going to be giving out the information anymore,” said schools spokeswoman Patti Caplan. “That had been our traditional practice.”
At the last count, 11 MRSA cases were confirmed in 10 schools, she said.
In Maryland, MRSA is a nonreportable incident, meaning doctors do not have to notify health authorities or schools of cases.
IF YOU GO
» What: Public forum on methicillin-resistant staphyloccoccus aureus
» When: 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday
» Where: Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia
