MRSA at Bustamante Hospital for Children since July 2015 as Bacterial Infections increase

“... There were three cases in that outbreak (in) patients who had been in the unit for months. All of the appropriate measures were taken, and the containment was achieved”

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Marion Bullock-Ducasse at a Press Conference held on Wednesday October 28^th 2015

Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson, just can't seem to catch a break.

Meanwhile as the drought stretches on and sanitation levels dip due to a lack of water for proper Sanitation and hygiene as predicted by Dr. Michael Taylor in my blog article entitled “Dr. Taylor links Climate Change to increase in Diseases in Jamaica - Dengue, Pink Eye and Zika Virus coming and Asthma rising”, disease has started to take hold since July 2015.

Now comes new information that seems to suggest that MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) has been running rampant in the Bustamante Hospital for Children since July 2015 as reported in the article “Bacteria at ‘Busta’”, published Thursday, October 29, 2015 By Alphea Saunders, The Jamaica Observer. 

So says CMO (Chief Medical Officer) Dr Marion Bullock-Ducasse at a Press Conference held on Wednesday October 28th 2015 in which she made the disclosure. Apparently it's been spreading within the Intensive Care Unit among patients, as MRSA isn't restricted to prematurely born babies only; it can also infect adults too as I’ll explain below.

MRSA has apparently been spreading a month after the Klebsiella and Serratia bacterial infection began spreading at UHWI (University Hospital of the West Indies) and Cornwall Regional Hospital in June 2015 as mentioned in my blog article entitled “18 Jamaican babies die from Klebsiella and Serratia - How lack of Water caused UHWI and Cornwall Hospital Babies Deaths”.

This new bit of information from Dr Marion Bullock-Ducasse basically confirms a tweet by Nationwide New journalist Abka Fitz-Henley Twitter account @AbkaFitzHenley on the 19^th of October 2015 about MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) spreading within the Bustamante Hospital for Children:

"MRSA infections at Bustamante Hospital. Affecting some babies with cancer, HIV & those on intravenous fluids for extended periods" - source

— Abka Fitz-Henley (@AbkaFitzHenley) October 19, 2015

He also confirmed that MRSA was indeed spreading in the Bustamante Hospital for Children as reported in the article “MRSA Confirmed at Bustamante”, published Oct 29, 2015 by Abka Fitz-Henley, Nationwide News.  

Folks, it looks like we have a full blown outbreak!!! Based on this Press Conference on Wednesday October 28^th 2015, it'll get worse as the drought continues, causing potable water to be in short supply and unavailable for sanitation.

Dr Marion Bullock-Ducasse putting out fires - Ministry of Health hiding bacterial infection Public Hospital deaths

Worse, based on the Press Conference by Dr Marion Bullock-Ducasse, it sounds as if they're busy putting out fires, so to speak, at other Public Hospitals:

1.      Bacterial infection at St Ann's Bay Hospital, which was a single isolated case that was under control

2.      Bacterial Infections at Victoria Jubilee Hospital, Jamaica’s only maternity hospital

She gave no details on these bacterial infections as to what the bacteria was that was involved as whether or not the spread had been contained. However, she also revealed more details about the deaths of the nineteen (19) babies died from Klebsiella and Serratia bacterial infection began spreading at UHWI and Cornwall Regional Hospital since June 2015:

1.      8 died at the UHWI at Cornwall Regional

2.      11 died at Cornwall Regional Hospital

This isn't looking good for the Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson, who has now upped the count to forty five (45) babies infected with Klebsiella and Serratia of which nineteen (19) have died as reported in my blog article entitled “19 Babies now dead from Klebsiella and Serratia bacterial infections - How More Babies will Die as Drought continues”.

CMO Dr Marion Bullock-Ducasse is of course taking action, drawing upon the bet medical minds at her disposal, quote: “The ministry had immediate dialogue with doctors at the hospital, we requested additional information which was reviewed last evening, and a team from the Ministry of Health head office, including our national epidemiologist, is currently at the hospital conducting an assessment and to ensure that the appropriate recommendations are in place”.

But based on the mention the infections at St Ann's Bay Hospital, Victoria Jubilee Hospital and now MRSA at Bustamante Hospital for Children, it might be safe for me to conclude that Klebsiella, Serratia and now MRSA are now taking hold and spreading.

Thankfully, no deaths from MRSA have been reported as yet. Or probably the Ministry of Health is holding on to those numbers to prevent a panic as CMO Dr Marion Bullock-Ducasse revealed very little during the Press Conference.

So what exactly is MRSA?

MRSA in Bustamante Hospital for Children - Doctors overprescribing antibiotics as Drought fuels Bacterial Infections

MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a common infection in hospitals that’s caused by a Staphylococcus aureus bacterium.

What makes MRSA, usually mistaken for bedsores, more difficult to treat is that due to over-prescription of anti-biotics by doctors, the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria have become drug-resistant to everything from penicillin to the most modern antibiotics.

This means that MRSA can cause the appearance of really ugly subcutaneous abscess that resemble bedsores as shown below.

Very few treatments exist, the main one so far developed, ironically from a 1000 year old eye-salve recipe by Dr. Christina Lee of the  University of Nottingham as explained in my blog article entitled “@UniofNottingham Bald's Leechbook recipe kills MRSA - Dark Ages shines Medieval Light on Modern Anti-biotics”. 

MRSA spreads like most bacterium; contact with items or surfaces laced with the bodily fluids of the infected or the carrier, as persons can have a bacterium living on their skin but show no ill effect i.e. Typhoid Mary type-situation.

This means that without the use of disinfectants, anti-septic soap e.g. Carbolic soap and iso-propyl alcohol with clean rags rinsed in warm water, MRSA and other Bacteria are basically multiplying and spreading like wildfire as the conditions are right for them.

Most important of all is the need for Water, as that's needed to clean surfaces using disinfectants an anti-septic in order to keep the Bacterial populations low. Similarly, the sheets need to be disinfected and anti-bacterial soap, not liquid soaps need to be used in the washing of hands in public Hospital restrooms.

Albeit a common, non-lethal bacterial infection which the human body can develop an immunity, immunity takes a long time to develop, as there are hundreds of strains of Staphylococcus aureus.

The typical human will not get the chance to develop these immunities unless they lived in a hospital for all of their lives and the effects on the body are equally hard to treat. Also, MRSA and other bacterial infection have the potential to kill if the infected has a weak immune system i.e. babies, children suffering from an illness or elderly persons with other health problems.

With no known drug or active agent that can be used to treat infections caused by MRSA due to their drug-resistant status, I expect with the ongoing lack of water that more reports of infections will be forthcoming not only from the Bustamante Hospital for Children but also other Public Hospital across the country as the drought continues and sanitation is lacking.