Release Date: February 27, 2009
Contact: Christine Patmon, Metro Health Public Relations Manager, 207-8638
Metro Health Initiates MRSA Pilot Program on March 1
Labs and health care professionals required to report all positive MRSA infections to health department for one-month project
Beginning March 1, Metro Health will start a one-month pilot program that will track cases of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection, allowing health officials to determine the prevalence of the disease in our local community. Per House Bill 1082 and Texas Health and Safety Code §81.0445, all clinical or hospital laboratories and physicians in Bexar County are required to report any positive MRSA infection to Metro Health within five working days of identification. The pilot program ends on March 31.
Metro Health is one of three health departments designated by the State to conduct this pilot program on MRSA; a bacterium primarily associated with skin and soft tissue infections. Health departments in Amarillo (Potter/Randall Counties) and Brazos County also will be participating. The legislature passed HB 1082 during the 2007 session. Representative Joe Straus, who now serves as Speaker of the House, authored the legislation which was part of the City of San Antonio’s legislative initiatives.
“In 2005, it was estimated that MRSA resulted in more than 290,000 hospitalizations and about 19,000 deaths in our country. This is not a disease we want to take lightly,” said Speaker Straus. “I am anxious to see the report from this pilot
program and look forward to consulting with our health officials regarding its outcome.”
The one-month pilot program will help ascertain the extent of MRSA in our community as well as study the cost and feasibility of adding it to the list of notifiable conditions. The reporting process applies to all MRSA infections defined as invasion and multiplication of MRSA in a body part or tissue, which produces cell or tissue injury and may enter the bloodstream.
“This is a potentially serious infection that we know is becoming much more common throughout our community and state. What we need to document now is the scope of the problem, who is being affected, and whether there are any trends that can be ascertained from the data,” said Assistant Director of Health Dr. Bryan Alsip.
“We have been educating schools, health care organizations, and daycares with respect to MRSA for quite some time. However, for a longer term solution, we must collect concrete data to document the magnitude of the problem, which might lead to the development of more effective antibiotics or a vaccine. Our ongoing education efforts will continue past the one-month reporting period,” said Director of Health Dr. Fernando Guerra.
For questions and reporting (form), contact Senior Epidemiologist Roger Sanchez at (210) 207-8876 or fax reports to (210) 207-8807.
