AURORA, Colo. — A seven-year-old Colorado boy is fighting for his life at an Aurora hospital, battling a rare strain of a flesh eating bacteria.
Jayden Palm’s parents still aren’t sure where he contracted a highly contagious infection known as MRSA. Doctors say most cases of MRSA are not this serious in fact, most cases of MRSA can be easily treated.
MRSA stands for, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It is a bacterium that causes infections in different parts of the body.
“There are some very rare ones that behave very aggressively like this one does but the ones in the community that are out there generally don`t behave this way,” says Dr. Jim Todd of Children’s Hospital Colorado.
The MRSA strain that infected 7-year-old Jayden is very rare but the infection itself is becoming more common.
“We have seen an increase of MRSA in the community but most of those are minor skin infections. People often think they are spider bites,” adds Dr. Todd.
He says at some point in your life you may carry a minor strain of these organisms on your skin and never get sick.
“Those are treatable. They often don`t need antibiotics and the patient gets better over time,” Dr. Todd says.
Experts say to keep an eye on an infection that may not heal over time and that is accompanied by a fever or rash.
“Because these things happen rarely it doesn`t mean parents need to be anxious all of the time about it,” says Dr. Todd. “What they need to do is know there child and if they see a child who is sicker than usual and who is not getting better those are the clues when it is time to start seeking medical attention.”
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The reason I am posting this is as a warning to others here... if the doctor prescribes you antibiotics, ask him for something else.
I just got over a rare drug resistant staph infection. The doctor said people who in the past who have taken lots of antibiotics are very susceptible to this strain and don't drink enough water.
Down in the USA I had Pink Eye and then Shingles a few months later, and they placed me on antibiotics for both.. return to Canada to get Staph.. yippie.
