So you're a micro biologist now?
Although it does seem that cleanliness in hospitals has some effect on these 'bugs', it's not as simple as that.
This is what St. George's University London has to say about it:
About 30% of the human population carry S. aureus in their nose all the time, and about another 40% sometimes carry S. aureus in their nose. S. aureus can also be found on the skin, particularly in areas such as the armpits, groin and rectum. The bacteria do not cause any harm to the host, and in fact may have some benefit in preventing infections with other bacteria.
We do not know why some people carry S. aureus in their nose while others don't. We do not know why some people get severe infections, while others don't.
Recent data suggests that carriage rates of MRSA in the general public may be higher than expected or increasing. More needs to be done to determine what these carriage rates are and who is at risk. Far more complex than stopping foreign (black?) people, who apparently have a lower standard of personal hygiene than us (whites?), being cleaners in hospitals. |