Page 13 - HOH

A28 SCIENCE
Friday 15 February 2019

Cleaning routine shows promise in curbing superbug infection

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE and an antibiotic ointment
AP Chief Medical Writer to swab in the nose. They
Think of it as decontaminat- were told to use these Mon-
ing yourself. Hospitalized day through Friday, every
patients who harbor certain other week for six months.
superbugs can cut their risk A year later, 6 percent of
of developing full-blown in- those in the deep-clean
fections if they swab medi- group had developed a
cated goo in their nose MRSA infection versus 9
and use special soap and percent of the others. They
mouthwash for six months also had fewer infections
after going home, a study from other germs. Doc-
found. tors estimated that 25 to
It's a low-tech approach 30 people would need to
to a big problem: About 5 be treated to prevent one
percent of patients have case.
MRSA — antibiotic-resistant There were no serious side
Staph bacteria — lurking effects; 44 people had dry
on their skin or in their nos- or irritated skin, and most
es, putting them at high risk continued using the prod-
of developing an infection ucts despite that.
while recovering from an ill- Heather Avizius was one.
ness or an operation. These The 41-year-old nanny has
can affect the skin, heart, had MRSA infections in the
brain, lungs, bones and past and entered the study
joints, and most of them after severe complications
land people back in the of Crohn's disease landed
hospital. her in St. Jude Medical
The hygiene steps that re- Center in Fullerton, Califor-
searchers tested trimmed nia, eight years ago.
that risk by nearly one third. "I took the regimen very,
"It's a very simple solution. In this Monday, Feb. 11, 2019 photo provided by Dr. Susan Huang of the University of California, very seriously" and has not
You don't have to swallow Irvine School of Medicine, researcher Raheeb Saavedra demonstrates how to use a medicated had MRSA since, she said. "I
ointment for a study on preventing superbug infections.
a medicine, you just have Associated Press felt cleaner and safer" and
to clean the outside of your less worried about spread-
body for a little while lon- ing germs to her children,
she said.
El Nino is back but it's late, ger," said Dr. Susan Huang Nearly half dropped out of
of the University of Califor-
the study early or couldn't
nia Irvine School of Medi-
weak and probably no big deal cine. led the federally be found for follow-up.
"Many people may think 'I
She
funded study, published feel fine, I don't really need
WASHINGTON (AP) — An sphere often warms up the California, but this is late in Wednesday by the New to do this,'" said Dr. John
El Nino, which can alter globe and changes rainfall the season and it's already England Journal of Medi- Jernigan of the U.S. Centers
weather worldwide, has and temperature patterns, rainy there, Halpert said. cine. for Disease Control and Pre-
formed but it's so weak and making some places wet- The current El Nino is quite A lot has been done to vention. But "the risk doesn't
late that it shouldn't be a ter and some places drier. different than the last one curb infections in hospi- end once you go home."
big deal, U.S. forecasters When there is an El Nino, in 2016, which was one of tals and attention is shift- Federal grants paid for the
said. there are generally fewer the strongest meteorolo- ing to what happens after products. They would cost
The National Oceanic and and weaker hurricanes in gists have seen and helped patients leave. Nine states $150 to $200 for six months
Atmospheric Administra- the Atlantic, but this one push Earth to its warmest — California, Washington, otherwise, Huang said. The
tion announced Thursday might not make it to sum- year on record. Nevada, Minnesota, Illinois, antiseptic soap was a 4
that the climate feature mer and have any effect This year's version is "kind South Carolina, Pennsylva- percent chlorhexidine so-
formed in the central Pa- on the next storm season, of limping along," Halpert nia, Maine and New Jer- lution sold in many drug-
cific, but forecasters don't said Mike Halpert, deputy said. So he and other scien- sey — require that hospitals stores.
expect it to last more than director for the NOAA's Cli- tists said they don't expect test the most vulnerable Other soaps, even ones la-
three or four months. mate Prediction Center. many significant effects. patients, such as those in beled antibacterial, "may
An El Nino is a natural warm- A wintertime El Nino often Forecasters had been wait- intensive care, for MRSA. not have the active ingre-
ing of the ocean that once means more rain for the ing for it since last June Many other places do it dients to remove MRSA,"
it interacts with the atmo- U.S. South and Southern when NOAA issued its first voluntarily. said Dr. Robert Weinstein,
El Nino watch. But while The study involved more another study leader and
the water was warmer than than 2,000 patients at hos- an infections specialist at
normal in the Pacific, it pitals in southern Califor- Cook County Health and
wasn't causing the chang- nia who were found to Rush University Medical
es in the air that would sat- carry MRSA, or methicillin- Center in Chicago.
isfy the definition for El Nino. resistant Staphylococcus It's worth it for patients to
During stronger past El Ni- aureus bacteria. All were do whatever they can to
nos, the U.S. economy has given information on ways prevent an MRSA infection,
benefited because of less to avoid infection, and half he said.
drought and fewer hurri- also got special products "You left the hospital, you
canes, economic studies — mouthwash, liquid soap don't want to go back."
show.q containing an antiseptic q