AR Hospitals Work to Fight Drug-Resistant Bacteria
By: Brittney Johnson, KARK
Updated: March 6, 2013
A health scare is catching the attention of hospitals here in the Natural State. Now, Arkansas hospitals are joining others across the nation fighting a deadly resistant bacteria, Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE.
It's a group of germs and the CDC is urging states to work with hospitals to stop it from spreading.
This bacteria is similar to MRSA, experts say it's difficult to treat as result of people using too many antibiotics.
Health department officials say if you're relatively healthy and you go into the hospital your risk is very low, but even the strongest antibiotics cannot treat CRE and if someone who is really sick becomes infected it can be deadly.
State officials say they do not want people to panic. They started seeing CRE cases about 10 years ago just recently they have started picking up and now there are more cases popping up in Central Arkansas.
"We've got to make sure physicians don't overuse antibiotics and convince patients there are side effects to antibiotics you can have allergic affects and you can change bacteria in your body," says Gary Wheeler, Infectious Diseases Chief at the Arkansas Health Department.
Right now, CRE is not a reportable infection but the health department is asking local hospitals to keep record of how many cases they're seeing. According to the CDC it is fatal in 50 percent of cases.
The health department is working with the Arkansas Hospitals Arkansas on this and they're also preparing for a meeting at the end of March to discuss ways to stop CRE from spreading.
It's a group of germs and the CDC is urging states to work with hospitals to stop it from spreading.
This bacteria is similar to MRSA, experts say it's difficult to treat as result of people using too many antibiotics.
Health department officials say if you're relatively healthy and you go into the hospital your risk is very low, but even the strongest antibiotics cannot treat CRE and if someone who is really sick becomes infected it can be deadly.
State officials say they do not want people to panic. They started seeing CRE cases about 10 years ago just recently they have started picking up and now there are more cases popping up in Central Arkansas.
"We've got to make sure physicians don't overuse antibiotics and convince patients there are side effects to antibiotics you can have allergic affects and you can change bacteria in your body," says Gary Wheeler, Infectious Diseases Chief at the Arkansas Health Department.
Right now, CRE is not a reportable infection but the health department is asking local hospitals to keep record of how many cases they're seeing. According to the CDC it is fatal in 50 percent of cases.
The health department is working with the Arkansas Hospitals Arkansas on this and they're also preparing for a meeting at the end of March to discuss ways to stop CRE from spreading.
Comments
What are the symptoms?I have used many anti. and just found I have lyme and have had for very long time.I am very very sick and want to know if the lyme and cre are connected.I am getting worse every day. My mind is being affected bad by this infection! Please give feed back? Thanks
Tina T.
March 7, 2013 at 6:34 pm
