BACKGROUNDER CA-MRSA / STAPH INFECTIONS

CA-MRSA (Staph)
CA-MRSA or Community-Associated methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CAMRSA) more commonly known by athletes as Staph, is a type of skin infection caused by Staph bacteria. What makes this infection particularly serious is its resistance to many antibiotics. MRSA/Staph is often misdiagnosed as spider bites, notes Nora Boyd, chair of the CCAR-CAC Working Group and Infection Control Specialist with Bluewater Health in Ontario. The infection usually starts out as a small bump that looks like a pimple or a boil but becomes larger, redder and often develops pus drainage. MRSA/Staph infected skin lesions can progress quickly from a skin irritation to an abscess or serious skin infection. If left untreated, it can infect blood and bones and become life-threatening. FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK HERE

Terms of Reference (September 15, 2004)

Mandate:
To provide the CCAR Executive with advice on appropriate activities related to infection prevention and control to limit the development and transmission of antibiotic resistance.

The Working Group will:

1. Expand and adequately resource infection prevention and control systems in acute and long term care facilities as well as in community settings
2. Attempt to reduce MRSA and VRE through containment within facilities by 50% over five years based on current surveillance data
3. Encourage formalized training for infection prevention and control among health care providers
4. Institute initiatives such as a National Hand Hygiene campaign
5. Finalize the infection control resource reports (SPICE and RICH), disseminate to key stakeholders within 6 months and encourage implementation
6. Develop local and regional partnerships, where they do not exist, among public health and infection control practitioners as well as other organizations
7. Solicit research interest to determine optimal mechanisms to manage infection control, containment and prevention as well as codes of best practice and performance indicators for hygiene and asepsis outcomes
8. Facilitate implementation of the key activities
9. Solicit the requisite resources to implement the key activities

Priorities:
The key short term priorities will be:

a. to establish, in conjunction with other organizations, a national initiative which highlights hand hygiene and promotes vaccination to reduce the need for antibiotics;
b. to complete and publish the RICH study done by Dick Zoutman at Queens (this may include highlights published in Health Canada documents and/or Hospital Quarterly as well as encouraging coverage in the mass media;
c. to provide educational opportunities for health care professionals on disease prevention (in conjunction with other groups such as Deans of Medical Schools and NASI).
The key medium to long term priorities will be:
a. Encourage research into best practices for infection prevention and control in hospital, long term care and day care environments;
b. Expand and develop local and regional partnerships with other organizations including school boards and the College of Health Care Executives.

Membership:
The members will be representatives from the Canadian health care community with an interest in infection prevention, containment and control. Members will be appointed by CCAR. Working Group membership is expected to change over time. Initial Working Group members include:

John Conly
Erica Bontovics
Nora Boyd (Chair)
Sandra Callery
Cathy Egan
Judy Morrison
Susan Morrison
Pat Piaskowski
Liz VanHorne
Rick Walter

Meetings:
Meetings will generally be held via teleconference and are expected to be held several times per year. Meetings will called by the Chair and members will be provided at least one week prior notice.

Term:
It is expected that the Working Group will remain active until at least March 31, 2007.