Diseased Children...Ugh!!

[Mayonnaise]

Close... but an important distinction must be made. 25%-30% of us are colonized with Staphylococcus aureus aka Staph. At some point in our lives, pretty much all of us will carry Staph for a while. It lives on our skin, especially the... moist... areas. Not everyone who has Staph living on them has Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. There is a huge difference although they are very similar. If you get infected, but not with the methicillin-resistant strain, then all it takes is a course of antibiotics and it's gone. Most hospitals, even when someone comes up positive as a carrier, won't treat colonized people, because they don't need it. It's not making them sick, and more antibiotics increases the chances of more antibiotic resistant bugs.

That said, while I can see being angry at people who come to the park with symptoms of disease as an awful thing, but a large quantity of the population is colonized with SOMETHING. Colonized people, by definition have no symptoms of what they carry, and quite often don't have any idea they're carrying it. People can also be Colonized with Streptococcus, which causes strep throat, or the parasite Toxoplasmosis you get from uncooked meat, or cat poop.

One in four people IN THIS THREAD, could be carrying it around.

8^S

[DisneyMom]

Mayo, your info is correct according to WebMD. MRSA is colonized in about 1% of the general population, but is found in higher concentrations depending on geography and persons who have higher incidence of bodily contact with others. So it depends where/ on whom they are doing the cultures. Not exactly comforting.
As a nurse, I know I'm doomed. Take care of patients with MRSA all the time. And they are not currently hospitalized

[Mayonnaise]

Heh... I only know that, because the company I worked for, made the training materials for the VA hospitals about MRSA. Sorry if I sounded all know it all-y.

8^P

[hobie16]

MRSA is colonized in about 1% of the general population...

Do they put up little flags and stake a claim for Staphylococcusland?

[Noctourne Wonderland]

Do they put up little flags and stake a claim for Staphylococcusland?

They try, but it seems the diseased natives are revolting. (In more than one way :p :)

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

They try, but it seems the diseased natives are revolting. (In more than one way :p :)

I'll say, they stink on ice!! [/history of the world, part I]

heheheh