Superbugs are on the rise.

These superbugs have several names.  They include carbapenem-resistant entero-bacteriaceae or CRE; and necrotizing fasciitis (more commonly known as the deadly flesh eating disease) and are often referred to as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) staph infections.

In March 2013, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an alert saying lethal germs are on the increase.  Many of these superbugs emerge in hospital and other healthcare settings where patients are at a greater risk of infection due to invasive medical devices being used and patients having weak immune systems and open wounds.  However, in more recent years some superbugs have been making their way into the community.

“These are nightmare bacteria that present a triple threat,” said Thomas Frieden, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “They’re resistant to nearly all antibiotics. They have high mortality rates, killing half of people with serious infections. And they can spread their resistance to other bacteria.”

It is also concerning that very few pharmaceutical companies are creating blockbuster antibiotics due to the huge costs involved.  The economics just aren’t there, said David Nix, a Professor at the UA College of Pharmacy.

In the first half of 2012, nearly 200 hospitals treated at least one of these infections, Frieden said. About 4% of hospitals have had at least one patient with CRE, along with 18% of long-term, acute-care hospitals, the CDC said.  The country has only a narrow “window of opportunity” to act before it’s too late to halt the superbugs’ spread, Frieden said.

What You Can Do To Reduce Risks

According to a recent study undertaken by the University of Arizona, your computer keyboard has more than 20,000 microbes per square inch — at least 400 times more germs than a toilet seat.

• Wash your hands regularly throughout the day, and for at least 20 seconds at a time.
• Clean your personal items regularly (i.e. cellphone, tv remote control, keyboard and mouse) with alcohol swabs or sanitizer wipes.
• Always wash hands before and after using the restroom and visiting community facilities and retail outlets (i.e.the gym, coffee and retail shops, schools, grocery stores, the Post Office, hospitals etc).
• Keep any open skin areas covered until they are completely healed.  Clean open areas with Peroxide every night, along with an antibiotic ointment.
• If you come into contact with wounds, bandages, skin drainage, or any type of bodily fluids be sure to wear gloves, and carry out proper hand washing immediately afterwards.
• Do not share any personal items with anyone.
• If you are a patient at a hospital or medical facility, ask your caregiver to wash his/her hands before touching you. Some caregivers can transmit MRSA from patient to patient.
• Keep strengthening your immune system and keep your adult stem cells activated. These two fundamentals have been scientifically proven to be the very essence of life and good health. Stem Cell Worx Intraoral Spray is designed specifically for this purpose.

Watch the video below where Chief Medical Officer, Dame Sally Davies, warns of a major increase in the number of bugs that are resistant to antibiotics.

References: www.telegraph.co.uk and www.cdc.gov