Students Beware: The Superbug is on the Rise

Cases of MRSA have increased. Here’s what you need to know about this fast-moving infectionBy Chavonne Hodges.Catching a cold in New York City is nothing new to most college students, but hearing that a perfectly healthy classmate suddenly needs surgery in the middle of the semester is another story. “I thought he was getting his tonsils removed or something, but learned that he was getting some mysterious lump removed from his stomach,” says Robert Ramos, of his close friend. Ramos is a graduate student studying English Education at City College.  “When I spoke to him afterward, he said that it was caused by a staph infection.”An unplanned operation in the middle of the semester is highly unlikely for most, but the MRSA infection is increasingly common. A new study conducted by the University of California cites that the number of children and youth hospitalized with the MRSA infection has more than doubled since 2000. And, according to experts, the risk is increasing among college students.MRSA, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureusalsois, is a fast moving superbug that causes infections of the skin, lungs, urinary tract and blood, and is resistant to common antibiotics like penicillin. Generally found in hospitals, but on the rise in crowded places such as schools and gyms, the bacteria is hard to treat, but easy to contract.  According to Web MD, MRSA “can be spread from one person to another through casual contact or through contaminated objects.”City College students have reason to be cautious and informed but not panicked.“I can't say we've seen a whole lot of confirmed MRSA here over the last year, except for one or two patients who had [been diagnosed] at the ER,” explains a representative from the CCNY Wellness and Counseling Center. “I guess it's all that over-use of antibiotics that breeds MRSA and other superbugs so it's something we all need to be aware of.”Some students know about the bacteria from the past. “I remember when I was in high school it was a big deal, like don’t touch the desk or you’ll get it,” says Sara Gershon, an English major, and junior at CCNY. “Staph was never prominent in my brain; there’s a million things [you can catch]. Like anytime something happens I think, oh no, where did I get this from, and I think oh, probably from school.”For other students MRSA’s occurrence in classrooms is unusual. “I was unaware that it’s common in schools, which I think is very strange," says Nicole, a third year student at the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Engineering. “ I feel that the school should implement some sort of sanitation procedures, maybe provide hand sanitizer more frequently to lower that risk.”The college and its students alike can take measures to prevent the spread of the MRSA bug. To reduce the risk of being infected, students can do the following:•Wash your hands with soap and water after touching dirty surfaces, especially gym equipment•Take showers regularly•Avoid skin-to-skin contact•Cover all cuts and scrapes with bandages to keep germs out•Carry a alcohol-based hand sanitizer