MRSA forum draws little notice

Howard County (Map, News) - Peter Holmes knows well the value of personal cleanliness.

“I’m in the oral health profession, so we’re probably the cleanest of all because we wash our hands all the time,” said the Columbia resident. “Our fingers are literally in the mouth.”

Holmes was one of only a handful of residents who gathered at the Bain Center in Columbia to hear a presentation on methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus where infectious disease specialists explained the value of this often overlooked practice and best way to prevent infection.

The low turnout was attributed to the Thanksgiving holiday and parent-teacher conferences at Howard public schools.

“I think the presenters did an excellent job,” Holmes said. “It seemed that some people were getting scared to death.”

Those in attendance were given free antimicrobial hand sanitizer and encouraged to use it often.

The forum was held to dispel myths associated with MRSA, which has become a hot topic in the community since Howard public schools and other counties started confirming cases.

“MRSA is not new,” said Dr. Mark Landrum, an infectious disease specialist with Howard County General Hospital in Columbia.

“MRSA was first described in 1959 in lab isolates and the first U.S. case came in 1968.”

Also, contrary to public opinion, Landrum said the current level of MRSA in the community has been the same for the past four years and had not spiked in the last three months.

To crack down on MRSA at the hospital, patients have been having nasal swabs for MRSA on admission to the intensive care unit and are screened weekly until they’re transferred out, said Dr. Ramya Gopinath, another infectious disease specialist with the hospital.

Holmes said he was curious about how the hospital dealt with visitors. Visits, even from family, can be restricted when someone is in isolation for MRSA or a more serious condition, said Gopinath.

It’s not known whether the experts will gather for another public forum, said Lisa de Hernandez, spokeswoman for the health department.

jkowalkowski@baltimoreexaminer.com